Software Development Updates

With the advent of futuristic technologies such as AI, ML, and IoT, every industry domain is seeing a revolution. The same is true for the healthcare sector. Implementing IoT for medical care is known as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). This technology connects patients with doctors, healthcare organizations, and mobile clinics through medical devices and applications. It is essential to partner with a trusted healthcare software development company to deliver reliable and robust apps and devices. 

The global market size for IoMT in 2022 was around USD 144.23 billion and is expected to grow with a CAGR of 20.4% from 2023 to 2030. This indicates that IoMT is not only widely accepted but also has a bright future.

IoMT is a cornerstone for building a connected and responsive healthcare system. This article discusses the benefits and challenges of implementing it. We also delve into the future possibilities of IoMT. 

1. What is the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)?

The Internet of Medical Things is a form of IoT, encompassing a network of medical devices and applications. It creates a secure IT network connecting patients and healthcare professionals with medical devices. This network includes everything from wearable tech, to implanted heart monitors, and MRI machines. 

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) leverages ML and automation capabilities to allow continuous health monitoring, which reduces human dependency. This also helps increase workflow efficiency. The data generated from health monitoring through inter-networked apps and smart devices is shared with healthcare providers in real-time. So, they could provide immediate intervention before the patient’s condition worsens. 

The data collected from the Internet of Medical Things can also help with various types of medical research. This data offers hospitals and healthcare organizations insights into diseases and their treatments, enabling them to use their resources more efficiently and provide enhanced remote patient monitoring. 

2. What are the Benefits of IoMT?

Implementing advanced technological concepts in any realm is always beneficial. The same can be said for IoMT in the healthcare sector. Let’s discuss a few of its advantages.

2.1 Reduced Costs

Everyone wants to bring their cost down and adopting the IoMT can help achieve this for both patients and doctors. Remote consultations and healthcare monitoring are cost-effective options for patients compared to in-person visits. So, they don’t visit hospitals unless there is a serious health issue.

Real-time interventions through audio and video communication technologies are enough to resolve minor health issues. This approach reduces the need for in-person visits at the clinics, which brings down administrative costs.

The hospital is not required to invest in infrastructure or hire large teams to handle in-hospital tasks. Moreover, IoMT also allows automation of the workflow, which minimizes the rate of human error and increases overall efficiency. 

2.2 Enhanced Patient Care

IoMT enables healthcare professionals to deliver better patient care. The Internet of Medical Things is a technology connecting various online applications and devices, providing multiple sources to accumulate patient data.

Access to more data enables doctors and hospitals to make more accurate diagnoses and make better decisions for preparing effective and personalized treatment plans. IoMT allows for healthcare monitoring through real-time data sharing.

Wearable devices or medication tracking software detect a problem that may be minor or severe. It is immediately conveyed to the doctors and relevant parties to alert them about the patient’s deteriorating condition. This enables the doctors to intervene early, which is very helpful for patients with chronic diseases. 

2.3 Accurate Diagnoses

IoMT is a network of interconnected healthcare devices and applications. So, it gathers medical data from multiple sources for expert analysis. Medical practitioners can get better insights into patient’s conditions, allowing them to make accurate diagnoses and prescribe better treatments.

With remote patient monitoring, doctors can track patient’s vital signs and symptoms to prevent diseases from getting worse. If a new symptom comes up, the medical professionals are immediately alerted about it. So, they can factor in the patient’s changed condition and readjust the course of treatment. 

2.4 Objective Reporting

Doctors used to rely on subjective reports about the patient’s feelings. This can often lead to poor diagnosis. However, with the use of IoMT devices, healthcare professionals can get all types of detailed reports and records of physiological activities, such as blood flow in the nervous system. This objective evaluation of the patient’s conditions and symptoms helps make accurate diagnoses and provide better therapy results. 

3. The Challenges of IoMT Adoption in Healthcare

Adopting IoMT certainly brings a lot of benefits, offering opportunities to deliver better patient care. But opportunities and challenges go hand in hand. Like any revolutionary technology, IoMT also comes with a few challenges.

3.1 Data Security and Privacy

The risks of data breaches and cyberattacks increase with the number of devices and apps inter-connected to the network. IoMT devices would generate large chunks of data related to patients’ health, making them a popular target for cyberattacks. Any lack of security can immediately lead to massive security crises. So it is necessary to implement relevant regulations such as HIPAA along with robust encryptions, secure data transmissions, and other security measures. 

3.2 Interoperability

Interoperability is one of the major challenges in IoMT implementation. An IoMT is a network of interconnected devices from different manufacturers, each often using different communication protocols. Due to this, interoperability remains a significant challenge when adopting IoMT. For seamless communication between IoMT devices, it is essential to adhere to established standards for interoperability, such as DICOM and FHIR. 

3.3 Regulation and Compliance

Every software technology and solution must comply with various rules and regulations that differ from region to region. For example, the US has the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to determine the needs for a company building IoMT services and devices.

Meanwhile, in Europe, the Medical Device Regulation (MDR) encourages companies to improve the traceability of IoMT devices by marking them with identifiers. As it spreads across the globe, IoMT will be adopted with more rules and regulations to ensure the safety of the patients and the public healthcare system. 

3.4 Accuracy and Reliability

Healthcare providers rely on the data provided by IoMT devices to make diagnoses and decide on treatment. In that case, if a device malfunctions or sends inaccurate data, then it may result in misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatments. Therefore, it is essential to test the IoMT devices rigorously and implement QA best practices to ensure their accuracy and reliability as well as maintain patient safety. 

3.5 High Infrastructure Costs

While it is true that implementing IoMT healthcare solutions can help deliver better patient care and take your business to another level. However, setting up and maintaining a network of interconnected devices and apps is expensive.

Investing in the creation of healthcare software and devices. It’s not just their development, but also ongoing maintenance and update them regularly. To make it a success, it is important to employ the best technologies and recruit the right talent.

But before all of that, you must conduct a cost-benefit analysis. It must include an evaluation of the potential return on investment, patient outcomes, and operational efficiencies. Considering all these factors, pick a suitable technology partner who can guide you through the development and implementation of IoMT. 

4. What is the Future of the IoMT in Healthcare?

Though there are a few limitations, the Internet of Medical Things provides abundant advantages. Providing opportunities to revolutionize the way patients get treated, not to mention transforming the overall healthcare systems. By leveraging the latest technologies, IoMT is making it possible to share test results in real-time, provide better care, and increase the workflow efficiency of hospitals. 

4.1 AI and ML with IoMT

The range of capabilities of IoMT devices increases when integrated with AI and ML technologies. AI algorithms enable quick and accurate diagnosis by analyzing patient data and offering personalized treatment options.

Machine learning enables to creation of virtual assistants that can schedule appointments, answer patients’ questions, and provide basic health-related advice. In short, the purpose behind the implementation of AI and ML in IoMT is to offer tailored healthcare services with increased quality and efficiency.

4.2 Advanced Wearables and Implantable

Wearable and implantable devices give patients control over their daily health. Users can get real-time health insights through wearable devices like a smartwatch that tracks their heartbeat, while insulin patches and posture-correcting wearables. These medical equipment not only help monitor the vitals but also keep track of complex biomarkers. Wearable technology and implants connect doctors and patients and are likely to be adopted widely in the coming years. 

4.3 Improved Cloud Integration

Though data collection is a crucial aspect of IoMT healthcare, data sharing is equally important. The future of healthcare applications hinges on cloud integration, which streamlines real-time data-sharing services. This enables healthcare providers to monitor patient’s health conditions through smartphones, wearables, and implants. 

5. Conclusion

IoMT is a step causing a significant shift in the medical field. From monitoring patients to increasing operational efficiencies of healthcare facilities, IoMT is beneficial to everyone, be it doctors, patients, or stakeholders. To provide better and affordable care, IoMT automates mundane and repetitive activities, leading to the minimization of errors and accurate diagnosis. 

The network of medical apps and mobile devices also allows healthcare facilities to collaborate and share important patient information and records in real-time. This connectivity results in improved patient care. The most important benefit of using IoMT is that it helps build efficient medical systems. 

IoMT is just getting started so obviously there are going to be challenges along the way. However, they can be easily addressed using emerging technologies such as AI and ML. so, we can say that the future of IoMT in healthcare is bright. 

FAQs 

What is the purpose of IoMT?

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is a network of interconnected devices that collects medical data from various sources such as hospitals, mobile health units, the healthcare industry, and patients and sends them to healthcare providers. 

What is an example of an IoMT device?

Any device or app that is connected to the internet and has a series of similar medical devices is called an IoMT device. It includes kiosk care points, RFID inventory management devices, smart pills, pulse oximeters, heart rate monitors, glucose monitors, and more.