/04 Mar 2020

How IoMT (The Internet of Medical Things) is Disrupting Healthcare

A hispanic female doctor with brown hair in ponytail wearing glasses and white medical scrubs with a stethoscope around her neck is holding a tablet. The entire image is overlaid with vital signs like heart rate beats per minute.

“Smart” devices connected through IoT (the Internet of Things) can transform how we play music, text our friends, and even order groceries from Whole Foods. If you fall off your bike, Alexa can ship a first aid kit to your door within one business day. During an emergency, Siri can even dial 911 for you if you can’t reach your phone. Telehealth and IoMT take this emerging technology to the next level.

It’s incredible how far IoT has come, but a virtual assistant will never provide lifesaving medical care during a crisis or identify a critical diagnosis based on a description of your symptoms (sorry, WebMD).

The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is defined by Forbes as follows:

“[The Internet of Medical Things is a] connected system of medical devices and applications that collect data that is then provided to healthcare IT systems through online computer networks. Through a web or mobile platform, secure software sends live health data from “smart” for remote expert analysis online.”

Why does this matter? The World Health Organization predicts a shortfall of 18 million health workers by 2030, primarily in low- and lower-middle-income countries.

Technology solutions can enable knowledge sharing and remote collaboration with experienced medical specialists whose expertise would otherwise be out of reach.

On a laptop during a videoconferencing session, the screen shows a smiling female doctor with a brown ponytail wearing white scrubs and a blue stethoscope around her neck touching her ear where headpiece connects to the audio.

IoMT Tools Connected to Secure Web Systems Empower Healthcare Professionals

IoMT tools typically connect to a system that includes a web platform and mobile app for patients and doctors to use. Systems like these in the telehealth space are transforming how doctors treat patients and how we care for ourselves and our loved ones. Here are just a few ways:

  • HIPAA-compliant platforms let doctors host appointments and consultations online
  • Online booking systems make it faster and easier to schedule appointments
  • Connected devices allow doctors to collaborate with specialists worldwide

Cutting-edge connected medical tools can empower medical experts, healthcare providers, and hospitals to save more lives.

An Allied Market Research report identified 5 types of end-users IoMT technology can benefit the most:

  • Healthcare Providers
  • Patients
  • Insurance Providers
  • Biotech and Pharma R&D Facilities and Labs
  • Government Authorities

From a public health perspective, this powerful new application of IoMT can foster healthier, more accessible, and safer communities for everyone who lives in them.

Here’s How We Made This Work: An Applied Use Case for Telehealth

10Pearls helped a leading healthcare organization develop one of the first end-to-end digital telehealth platforms. The product remains one of the most prominent and trusted in the industry to this day.

Our healthcare client wanted to create a safe and secure digital environment that connects specialist physicians with both doctors who work in hospitals or clinics and their patients. Desired outcomes for the project included reducing time to diagnosis at a lower cost while improving prognoses for critical health conditions. Notable aspects are highlighted below:

  • The enterprise-grade platform seamlessly integrates HIPAA-compliant software, an urgent notification system with escalations, and video conferencing functionality. IoMT integrations enable medical practitioners to capture, share, and remotely analyze data from medical tools like stethoscopes and heartrate monitors.
  • A paired user-facing mobile app allows patients who might not have access to the right resources teleconference with highly trained medical professionals.

During this platform modernization, our team harnessed the power of emerging technology to develop mission-critical software that is fully secure and compliant with industry regulations.

Providing access to a higher volume of more accurate and specific health data enables doctors to plan and implement more effective treatment plans and improve the quality of care patients receive.

The benefits of secure telehealth platforms connected to smart medical devices range from patient monitoring and wellness assessments to optimizing clinical operation and workflows, pharmaceutical research, and development.

A female doctor with a ponytail holds a tablet. A futuristic overlay shows electronic health records being securely transmitted over the internet.

Enterprise-Grade Telehealth Platforms: The Security, Compliance, and Stability Healthcare Requires

At the enterprise level, telehealth is revolutionizing the entire patient experience for hospitals and medical providers. Paired systems of robust web platforms and portable, user-friendly mobile apps can revolutionize the healthcare experience patients receive when healthcare organizations modernize, innovate, or go digital.

Microsoft’s report titled Personalizing Healthcare: Engaging Patients in a Digital Age maps out the benefits of digital transformation in the healthcare space:

  1. Unified and patient-specific treatment strategies
  2. Enhance and personalize patient engagement and experiences
  3. Broaden access to critical services
  4. Deliver the right medical care at the right time
  5. Empower healthcare providers to scale rapidly and seamlessly

With all these demonstrated applications, it’s no wonder MarketWatch predicts these mind-blowing growth statistics for the IoMT market:

  • A net worth of $136 billion by 2021 for the IoMT market
  • Forecasted 12.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) in the same 2-year period

From a development perspective, innovation in the healthcare space will center on architecture and system integration, security, compliance, technology consulting, support and maintenance, and developing applications.

Synergize IoMT, Mobile, and Cybersecurity to Streamline Operations and Improve Outcomes

Healthcare organizations can yield unlimited growth from digital transformation initiatives or new product development.

Consider just a few of the potential benefits:

  • Improving patient experience
  • Reducing human error for more accurate diagnoses
  • Managing risk and reducing liability

Outsource to a technology partner with demonstrated knowledge and experience creating cutting-edge solutions that comply with industry regulations.

Do you have a digital initiative you’d like to discuss? Schedule a free consultation with our healthcare technology experts.