Advantages and Disadvantages of Implementing IoT in Healthcare

The Internet of Things (IoT) is quickly gaining popularity in all spheres of life, healthcare systems in particular. In a nutshell, the technology allows multiple connected devices to collect and share information with each other.

What does this mean for healthcare?

In fact, the applications are so diverse that you probably wouldn’t believe these examples are taken from real life. Here are just a few

Symptom-tracking apps that send updates on responses to cancer treatment to the physician and which can avoid hospitalization

Connected hospital equipment that notifies doctors of their current location, informs the hospital management of the replacement needs and monitors staff performance

Remote temperature monitoring ensuring the correct transportation and storage of vaccines

Healthcare IT solutions that remind patients to refill medication and digestible sensors that trigger a notification if the medication hasn’t been taken on time

Given such examples, the Internet of Things (IoT) is seen as a way of living a smarter and safer life and its application is highly encouraged in medical establishments. However, digital transformation in healthcare isn’t without threats. It’s important to weigh all the advantages and disadvantages of implementing IoT systems in healthcare to be able to plan for ways to maximize the pros while mitigating the cons. Although the Internet of Things can be of great benefit to healthcare, there are still major challenges to address before full-scale implementation. The threats and disadvantages of using connected devices in healthcare are as follows: Security and privacy: Security and privacy remain a major concern deterring users from using IoT technology for medical purposes, as healthcare monitoring solutions have the potential to be breached or hacked. The leak of sensitive information about the patient’s health and location and meddling with sensor data can have grave consequences, which would counter the benefits of IoT. Risk of failure: Failure or bugs in the hardware or even power failure can impact the performance of sensors and connected equipment placing healthcare operations at risk. Also, skipping a scheduled software update may be even more hazardous than skipping a doctor checkup. Integration: There’s no consensus regarding IoT protocols and standards, so devices produced by different manufacturers may not work well together. The lack of uniformity prevents full-scale integration of IoT, therefore limiting its potential effectiveness. Cost: While IoT promises to reduce the cost of healthcare in the long-term, the cost of its implementation in hospitals and staff training is quite high. The Future of IoT in Healthcare According to a Business Insider report, the market for IoT healthcare technology will rise to $400 billion by 2022. Such growth will be due to the increasing demand, the improvement of 5G connectivity and IoT technology and the growing acceptance of healthcare IT software. The plans of tech giants like Apple, Google, and Samsung to invest in bridging the gap between fitness tracking apps and actual medical care are sure to contribute to the process too. Despite the downsides, further digital transformation in healthcare is inevitable and the concept of IoT will continue to capture and change the landscape of healthcare services. Thus, it seems to be high time to look beyond the challenges and embark on the journey to connected healthcare devices. Reference https://www.iotforall.com/iot-healthcare-advantages-disadvantages/