How IoT in Healthcare is Transforming the Future of Hospitals

The Internet of Things (IoT) is no longer a concept confined to connected homes or automobiles alone. In healthcare, IoT is changing how hospitals work, providing solutions that are not just limited to more traditional practices. The concept of devices being integrated to offer patient care, track essential conditions and even manage hospital operations is revolutionizing the healthcare sector. From monitoring the health status of patients in real time to consulting with doctors via the Internet of Things, IoT in healthcare is not an addition but a must-have for hospitals that seek to deliver better care at lower costs and remain relevant in a competitive market.

The statistics do not lie. It is forecasted that the application of IoT in the healthcare market will rise from $127.7 billion to $289.2 billion by 2028, with a CAGR of 17.8%. This meteoric rise is evidence of just how essential IoT has become to the advancement of healthcare. In this article, you will learn more about how IoT in healthcare is transforming hospital environments, understand what AI and IoT in healthcare are and see the practical application of these technologies. We will also explore some challenges that hospitals encounter when adopting IoT solutions and learn about the future of IoT in healthcare.

How IoT is Useful in Healthcare: Connected Hospital Ecosystems

IoT in healthcare is revolutionizing hospitals into smart environments to support the continuous exchange of data between devices, patients and healthcare professionals. Every piece of equipment in the hospital—from the beds to the endoscopes, from the heart monitor to the MRI machines—is gradually becoming ‘smart’. This evolution gives hospitals a chance to:

• Monitor Patients Remotely: Smart clothing like glucose monitors and heart rate sensors can monitor a patient’s health status and provide data to the medical care team in real time. This live monitoring can greatly minimize readmissions to the hospital and emergency visits. This is because doctors can address worsening patterns in a patient’s data before they escalate.
• Track and Manage Medical Assets: Asset tracking systems, such as Mapsted’s innovative suite of IoT solutions, built into hospital infrastructures help to quickly and easily find vital equipment such as wheelchairs or infusion pumps. These systems also minimize the time spent searching for assets and ensure that the right device is in the right place. This will help to meet demand timely and potentially save lives.
• Optimize Hospital Workflow: It is important to understand that smart IoT in healthcare is not only confined to the aspect of patient care. Integrated systems can order and restock medications, document their usage and even remind staff when supplies are low. For instance, a smart inventory management system can order supplies for replenishment upon reaching a pre-set level of availability.
• Improve Indoor Wayfinding Technology: Hospitals are expansive and multifaceted institutions by their very nature. It is common to find patients, visitors and even the staff moving around the hallways with a lot of difficulty. Smart indoor navigation based on IoT in healthcare employs sensors and real-time data to facilitate wayfinding within hospital compounds. Patients with smartphones can navigate themselves to appointments and staff can easily locate specific rooms or equipment. This will reduce waiting time and improve the patient’s experience.

The Role of AI and IoT in Healthcare

Although IoT on its own is very beneficial, when AI in healthcare is incorporated, it becomes a game-changer. AI and IoT in healthcare systems work together, where AI helps parse data generated by IoT equipment. Many of these devices can capture heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen levels and more. But without the use of AI in healthcare to analyze this information, the data is less useful. AI processes the data as it is collected and produces insights for doctors to make evidence-based decisions.

Here is how the integration of AI and IoT in healthcare is revolutionizing hospital care:

• Predictive Analytics: Hospitals that incorporate AI and IoT in healthcare devices will be in a position to predict health risks before they worsen. By identifying patterns in vital signs, AI can predict potential emergencies. This includes heart attacks, much earlier than would normally be possible. This allows physicians to act before the condition escalates; in many cases, this saves lives.
• Improved Diagnostics: The potential of AI in healthcare is immense, with nearly limitless applications. AI can analyze large datasets from IoT in healthcare devices to identify early signs of diseases. For instance, AI in healthcare can interpret data from imaging tools, such as CT scans or MRI machines and identify tumours earlier than the human eye can. This enhances diagnostic precision, increases efficiency and guarantees early treatment for the patient.
• Real-Time Decision Making: With the integration of AI in healthcare, analyzing data from IoT in healthcare devices allows doctors to receive timely information about their patient’s health status. In case a patient’s vital signs start to deteriorate, the system notifies the doctor immediately, allowing for early treatment.
• Remote Consultations: AI and IoT in healthcare devices allow for remote consultations as patients’ vitals are continually checked. Patients can consult their physicians without needing to physically visit the hospital. This is especially beneficial for chronic illnesses and for people living in areas with limited access to doctors.

Real-World IoT Healthcare Impact: Data Speaks

The role of IoT in healthcare is highlighted by real-world data. In 2022, the hospital segment accounted for 35% of the global IoT in healthcare market share. In terms of regional distribution, North America leads the way, commanding 40.3% of global IoT in healthcare revenue. Several factors contribute to the growing uptake of IoT in healthcare.

• Cost Reduction: IoT in healthcare helps hospitals cut costs by automating manual processes and reducing patient readmissions. This has a direct impact on lowering the overall cost of healthcare services.
• Government Initiatives: Governments around the world are investing heavily in IoT in healthcare, aiming to improve patient outcomes and hospital operations. This trend is expected to grow over the next five years.
• Reduction in Hospital Readmissions: One of the most tangible benefits of IoT in healthcare is the significant reduction in hospital readmissions. For chronic illnesses like heart disease, remote monitoring has already cut 30-day readmission rates by 50%. This means less pressure on hospitals, allowing them to focus on more critical cases.

The Future of IoT in Healthcare: What’s Next?

The future of IoT in healthcare holds tremendous promise. With rapid technological advancements, the possibilities are endless. Here are a few trends and developments we can expect:

1. Personalized Healthcare with AI: As IoT in healthcare continues to gather patient data, AI technologies in healthcare will apply this data to develop highly individualized treatment processes. When it comes to the future of IoT in healthcare, AI will be able to interpret patient data in real time and suggest the most appropriate treatments, improving outcomes and accelerating recovery.
2. 5G Integration: The introduction of 5G networks will enhance IoT in healthcare by allowing faster, more reliable data transmission between connected devices and hospital systems. This will revolutionize everything from remote surgeries to real-time diagnosis, enabling near-instantaneous data exchanges between patients and healthcare providers.
3. AI-Driven Predictive Maintenance: Hospitals will continue to use IoT in healthcare to monitor medical equipment, but future advancements will make these systems even smarter. Predictive maintenance powered by AI in healthcare will identify equipment failures before they occur, ensuring efficient repairs and minimizing downtime.
4. Advanced Remote Surgeries: We’ve already seen early applications of AI and IoT in healthcare in robotic surgeries, but the future holds much more. AI will process data from IoT in healthcare devices, allowing specialists to perform surgeries remotely on patients in different geographic locations using connected robotic systems.

How IoT is Improving Hospital Infrastructure

Hospitals are large structures where equipment, patients and healthcare professionals need to work in unison. However, most hospitals struggle to address infrastructure management ensuring essential medical equipment is always functional and placed appropriately. This is where IoT in healthcare comes into the picture.

1. Optimized Equipment Utilization: Hospitals alone have hundreds if not thousands of medical devices ranging from wheelchairs to infusion pumps. Their location must be monitored and they must be easily accessed at all times. With the help of IoT in healthcare, assets in hospitals cannot be misplaced since IoT is capable of tracking them. For instance, staff can immediately find the nearest available wheelchair or defibrillator during an emergency.
2. Automated Climate and Resource Control: Apart from medical devices, hospitals require certain environmental conditions to store medication or to maintain the sterility of the operating theater. With IoT devices incorporated in healthcare sensors, one can control the environment in the rooms and adjust the temperature, humidity and other aspects for the sake of patients.
3. Energy Efficiency and Cost Savings: Another important facility management issue that affects hospitals is energy management. Using IoT enhancements in healthcare sensors for analyzing energy consumption, hospitals can track power usage in real time and shut down systems that are not required. This leads to significant cost savings, which is crucial, especially in managing hospital finances.

Conclusion: IoT is the Future of Hospitals

The application of IoT in healthcare is not just another technology trend—it is the future of hospitals. As AI and IoT technology in healthcare become more integrated, hospitals will be more efficient, patient-centric and adaptive. Healthcare systems that embrace the adaptation of IoT support in healthcare will see improved patient outcomes, cost reductions and enhanced operational efficiency.

The future of IoT in healthcare is promising and while challenges remain, the benefits are too compelling to ignore. Hospitals that begin their IoT journey now will lead the charge in transforming healthcare. They will offer better patient care through connected devices and intelligent data use. If you found this blog helpful, don’t miss our blog post on How IoT Takes Indoor Location Tracking Technology to the Next Level in 2024? or watch our video on Mapsted Location Technology for Hospitals and Healthcare to learn more.