The Internet of Medical Things is a term that describes all medical devices connected to a healthcare provider’s system through the internet. These devices could generate, collect, analyze, and respond to healthcare data. The devices of IoMT include smart wearable used to monitoring patients remotely, and smart sensors enabled hospitals beds, smart tracking devices, medical supply inventory tracking systems and so on.
The motive of IoMT is to make the healthcare system work more effective for patients and efficient for service providers. With the development in IoT technology, the IoMT could become more effective in a better manner with enhancing reliability.
There is booming in industries that how IoMT can work effectively and how it operates. Forbes reported: “The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is poised to transform how we keep people safe and healthy especially as the demand for solutions to lower healthcare costs increase in the coming years.”
According to Frost & Sullivan’s analysis, the global IoMT market was worth $22.5 billion in 2016; it is expected to reach $72.02 billion by 2021, at a compound annual growth rate of 26.2%.
How Does The Internet of Medical Things Work?
The internet of medical things is a system of medical devices and applications that can connect to health care information technology systems using networking technologies. These devices collect and transmit data via the internet to the health care provider. They can analyze and monitor data of patients.
We can define the category of devices based on their uses. The devices can be used as on-body devices, in-home devices, and in-hospital devices and in-clinic devices.
Approximately 60% of global health care organization has implemented internet of things technologies and converted it into IoMT, and an additional 32% are expected to implement in 2021. The global IoMT market is expected to reach $137.6 billion by 2021.
Benefits and Challenges of IoMT
It provides many advantages to healthcare systems. According to a study, the benefits of IoMT include:
➥Enhance patients outcome
➥Improved patients experience
➥Improved overall healthcare system’s efficiency
➥Enhance the experience of healthcare treatment
➥Improved disease management
➥Increase the accuracy of the healthcare system
➥Remote monitoring of chronic disease
There are three biggest issues in developing this system like a financial investment, the interoperability of network, and cyber security.
To launch a comprehensive system that can take full advantages of IoMT is a challenge. Healthcare operations need huge money to invest and this could be lead to a major challenge.
There is an issue of computer interconnectivity in the healthcare system. Many companies are working on this issue but it will take time to establish systems that can talk to each other.
Cybersecurity and protection of patient’s data is another major issue. The prevention of cyber attacks and the possibility of data theft is a challenging task for the healthcare service provider.
Disadvantages of IoMT
Alternatively, some downsides that come along with the massive implementation of the IoT in medical include:
➥Privacy can be potentially undermined. Lots of attention will need to be focused on data security, which requires significant additional expense.
➥Unauthorized access to centralization. There is a chance that dishonest interlopers may access centralized systems and realize some cruel intentions.
➥Global healthcare regulations. International health administrations are already issuing guidelines that must be strictly followed by governmental medical establishments integrating the IoT in their workflow. These may restrict possible capacities to some extent.
