The advancement in existing technology along with the emergence of new technology like IoT has made it much easier to save lives and bring the cost of healthcare down. The cool new devices empowered by IoT are not only packed with bleeding edge technology but also provide top-notch diagnosis and treatment. You may not be aware, however, this not all futuristic or still under research. Some of these devices are already in the mainstream healthcare industry and are making a difference, right now, at this very moment.
FUTURE PATH MEDICAL’S UROSENSE
Future Path Medical is known for its fluid management system for both patients as well as caregivers. The latest medical devices system based on IoT that came out of Future Path Medical’s lab is UroSense. UroSense measures urine output along with the core body temperature (CBT) for catheterised patients. This whole process is automated. By monitoring such vital signs, early care can be given to patients with heart failure, injury of kidney, infectious diseases prostate tumours, diabetes, sepsis, and burn patients. Measurement of core body temperature can also give prior indication of any infection that is lurking, such as signs of hypothermia. In hospitals, UroSense provides crucial data like fill level and core body temperature directly to a monitor or nursing station. All this data is transmitted wirelessly. This IoT app saves not only time and money but also lives.
PHILIPS’ MEDICATION DISPENSING SERVICE
The most popular application that Philips has brought to the medical world is a medication dispensing service. The device was created primarily keeping the elderly in mind, who usually forget taking their medication or often end up taking the wrong pills at the wrong time. When it is time to take their pills, the device alerts the patients by using a light and a voice as a reminder. When the patients push the buttons, the device dispenses the medications in pre-filled cups. The phone line and the device is synced together to relay any message in case the patient misses the dose, if it is time to refill the device or when the power goes out. The device reduces dependency on humans, thus decreasing the chances of error.
AEROCRINE’S NIOX MINO
Aerocrine has created a device that monitors nitric oxide (NO) that is exhaled, thus providing data about asthma for research and clinical applications. The device NIOX MINO by Aerocrine takes measurements of NO in a patient’s breath. This measurement is taken on a routine basis by the device, which is a handheld device that is small in size. The device measures the level of NO present in a person’s breath when they breathe into the device. The level of NO in an individual’s breath is calculated to determine if there is airway inflammation. The device also suggests the best medication to treat the inflammation. The data collected by the device can be effectively synced with electronic medical record systems.
IoT holds a lot of promise to save lives and vastly improve the quality of lives by detecting critical illnesses in time. Tech companies such as Allerin are already working on wearables to detect cancer, diabetes and strokes, among other diseases. With the right use case and mitigation of privacy and security concerns, IoT devices are going to take healthcare to a whole new level.
