Issue link: https://resources.mouser.com/i/1300216
p. 3 Healthcare providers around the globe know it is imperative that patients' health information is accurate, accessible, and captured in near real-time. The market continues to demand smart devices with interoperability to healthcare systems such as EMR, billing, and asset management to drive accuracy of data and workflow efficiencies. These requirements are driving the integration of wireless connectivity into more and more devices; and the increased adoption of wireless sensors worn by patients and sensors for monitoring environmental conditions. Healthcare providers across acute and clinical care along with the home health environment are increasing their reliance on IoMT technology for workflow efficiencies, improved patient treatment, and decreasing costs. This IoMT environment includes smart devices that provide and communicate vital data in real time. There is a plethora of ways in which this technology can assist with and advance healthcare worldwide. For example, let's say a patient is extremely anxious about doctors' appointments. Because of this anxiety, the patient's blood pressure tends to run high when at the doctor's office. With a 'connected' blood pressure monitor, the doctor receives more reliable readings from the patient's normal day-to- day routine which could change the diagnosis and treatment. Here's another example… a recently- diagnosed diabetic teenager is struggling to manage blood glucose levels and is experiencing frequent and extreme high or low readings. Rather than scheduling a doctor appointment, the doctor can download the patient's glucose readings remotely because the patient is wearing a 'connected' continuous glucose monitor (CGM) system. This allows real time analysis and diagnostics for the patient versus relying on an in-patient visit to react to the changing conditions. It's important to understand the healthcare environment being targeted before you make crucial decisions about connecting your medical devices to IoMT applications. There are a few market conditions that continue to drive the development and deployments of IoMT. Market Dynamics in Healthcare • Patient data automatically entered into the EMR to increase work flow efficiencies and decrease errors. • Connect medical staff to patients no matter the distance between them. • Allow doctors to remotely monitor patients with chronic conditions. • Allow hospital staff to not only keep track of a patient's regimen of medications but also monitor drug and treatment compliance. • Allows a potential shift to remote/home healthcare as a mainstream healthcare practice. • Helps non-medical individuals to track many aspects of their own health via fitness trackers, blood pressure machines, and glucose monitors … just to name a few. • Automate patient workflow, decreasing errors and inefficiencies. • Promote asset tracking, environmental monitoring, and predictive maintenance for expensive healthcare equipment. • Automate tracking and recording environmental and storage conditions to meet compliance requirements. And so many other ways IoMT can assist with healthcare: