The challenges of IoT in healthcare will be seen as healthcare and medical devices continue to mature and move toward a new generation of enhanced diagnostics and improved services. The IoT can also impact the way devices are used in clinical settings, such as the integration of biometric solutions to facilitate data collection. Biometric data is considered to be the new signature that gives a device its identity and enables it to interact with external health care systems, such as pharmacies and hospitals, as well as with individual patients.
One challenge is ensuring devices can adapt to rapidly changing diagnostic standards. Traditional radiology equipment requires alterations to work with the latest computed radiography (CPR) software. In the future, patients may require more specialized systems and diagnostic capabilities. Similarly, devices will need to coordinate with on-site physicians, especially as healthcare technology improves. Additionally, healthcare providers will need to have access to real-time data in order to make informed treatment decisions for patients.
There are many challenges of IoT in healthcare associated with the transition from analog to digital solutions. Traditional radiology systems send images through wires that must be run through walls. This limits patient mobility and causes problems with wiring throughout the facility. The lack of space and budgetary constraints have made the conversion more difficult than originally anticipated. New compact digital devices, such as iPad-style app platforms, have solved this problem.
Other challenges are faced by hospitals that have an entire system dedicated to supporting remote patients. In this scenario, healthcare facilities must staff an IT department that specializes in wireless device set-ups. They must figure out how to set up the infrastructure, create a data network, and manage all the devices. Furthermore, they face issues such as privacy, legal restrictions, and security.
Even within conventional medical offices, challenges of IoT are becoming clear. EMR systems often cannot access clinical data from other departments at the same time. This is because the systems must synchronize with the EMR software running on the physician’s computer. As a result, doctors often have to wait for EMR information from one department, then manually input it into another department.
This can create a significant time delay. Further, if a doctor wants to look at a photograph of a particular eye problem, he has to take the shot across different departments before it is uploaded into the EMR system. For these reasons, doctors often want to outsource their EMR implementation to a software development company.
In considering challenges of IoT in healthcare, it is also important to consider the devices that will be used to manage patients’ health data. Many of the devices being developed for healthcare companies are smaller, faster, and more efficient than what currently exists. They will allow doctors to capture vital information faster, allowing them to make informed treatment decisions. However, as these devices become more common, bugs will need to be worked out and firmware updates will probably need to be performed regularly to protect the devices from vulnerabilities.
While these challenges of IoT in healthcare will likely be discussed for decades, developers and healthcare providers should be prepared. By designing an organization’s healthcare device network using open source software, EMR and wearables can be designed with simplicity, flexibility, and security. Implementing an enterprise-grade EMR system using the latest technology will enable EMR and other medical devices to provide doctors with accurate, real-time data to support their treatment decisions.
Healthcare EMR and wearable solutions will also have to be evaluated on how well they improve the quality of care. Hospitals and clinics must evaluate whether they are using suitable sensors, such as pulse oximeters, and whether they are using suitable wireless solutions for monitoring patients. Hospitals and clinics must also evaluate the data they are collecting and how they are using it to improve their services. By carefully evaluating these challenges of IoT in healthcare, the advances made by EMR and wearable technologies will be more profound and will impact every aspect of the healthcare industry for the better.
Doctors, nurses, and hospital administrators will all play a part in ensuring that healthcare EMR and wearable solutions provide the benefits intended. EMR and wearables will enable doctors and hospitals to make informed decisions about patient care and improve quality of life. Patients will feel more comfortable having their medical data collected and analyzed in a secure way, and this will likely encourage them to take better care of themselves. In addition, doctors will be able to get more detailed feedback on their assessments and treatment sessions, which can lead to more effective and faster care.
Challenges of IoT in healthcare examples such as poor EMR integration and poor wireless connectivity will undoubtedly need to be addressed if health care facilities are to fully realize the benefits of using EMR and other remotely hosted devices. This is only the beginning, and the sooner companies begin working on these issues, the sooner we will have an accurate picture of what the potential problems are and what solutions need to be developed. Even if a hospital or clinic implements its own EMR system, it is highly likely that the system will still need to be supported by wireless solutions that are able to make the most of the benefits provided by iOT technology.
Deepak Wadhwani has over 20 years experience in software/wireless technologies. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies including Intuit, ESRI, Qualcomm, Sprint, Verizon, Vodafone, Nortel, Microsoft and Oracle in over 60 countries. Deepak has worked on Internet marketing projects in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange Country, Denver, Nashville, Kansas City, New York, San Francisco and Huntsville. Deepak has been a founder of technology Startups for one of the first Cityguides, yellow pages online and web based enterprise solutions. He is an internet marketing and technology expert & co-founder for a San Diego Internet marketing company.