When Sermo asked a segment of U.S. physicians which digital technology has had the most positive impacts on their practice, many said wearable health monitoring devices and Internet of Things (IoT).
IoT holds significant promise for healthcare. “The increasing availability of multi-modal data (genomics, economic, demographic, clinical and phenotypic) coupled with technology innovations in mobile, IoT, computing power and data security herald a moment of convergence between healthcare and technology to fundamentally transform models of healthcare delivery through AI-augmented healthcare systems.” says one physician on Sermo.
But IoT gets complicated, especially for physicians new to it. Below is a guide to IoT in healthcare, including architectures, benefits and key applications.
What is IoT in healthcare?
IoT refers to a network of wireless, interconnected digital devices. In healthcare, the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) is the technological infrastructure that enables devices to collect, measure and securely transmit clinical data to systems. IoMT has played a part in healthcare’s transition from conventional clinical care delivery models—often episodic and fragmented—to more integrated systems of care.
Physicians view IoMT as a consequential medical technology. According to Sermo’s Barometer, one in five physicians view wearables, which includes IoMT-enabled patient monitoring, as the most exciting recent medical technological advancement.
“Emerging medical technologies are rapidly transforming healthcare, offering both exciting opportunities and potential challenges. As we witness advancements in telemedicine, artificial intelligence, wearable tech [facilitated by IoMT] and more, these innovations promise to enhance patient care and accessibility,” one physician noted on Sermo.
Additionally, a Sermo poll revealed that 20% of physicians believe investing in new technologies is the most important strategy for running a successful healthcare institution.
Three-layer healthcare IoT architecture
Researchers have proposed various IoMT architectures. One common basic structure includes three layers: perception, network and application. Here’s how it works:
- Perception layer: The perception layer is the physical layer that detects and identifies objects. It employs sensors and identification technologies to collect real-time data. It then converts that data into digital signals for subsequent processing and transmission.
- Network layer: The network layer facilitates data transmission among connected devices and gateways. It employs wired and wireless communication protocols to transfer and process sensor information locally or at centralized storage. This layer also manages routing and data flow across the IoT infrastructure.
- Application layer: The application layer interprets data from underlying layers and delivers application-specific services to the user. It defines the scope and protocols of IoMT use cases—whether telemedicine, remote patient monitoring, AI-assisted diagnostics or another.
IoT in healthcare: 3 key applications
Three overlapping yet complementary applications for IoT devices in healthcare exist: remote monitoring, real-time location systems and personalized medicine.
1. Remote patient monitoring
IoT facilitates remote patient monitoring through a network of technologies that collect patient health data and transmit it to cloud servers. One Sermo member explains, “IoT and wearable devices continuously monitor patient vitals and lifestyle parameters.” Additionally, just short of 90% of Sermo survey respondents predict the continued growth of telehealth use, fueled by emerging technologies such as AI, robotics and wearable devices.
A randomized 12-month trial of 119 type 2 diabetes patients found that a remote monitoring program using cellular-connected glucose meters reduced hemoglobin A1c by approximately 0.8–1.1% within 6 months. Patients in the remote monitoring program also reported improved treatment satisfaction, achieving outcomes comparable to those in specialized diabetes clinic care.
Similarly, researchers introduced an IoT-based monitoring system for patients with severe heart failure. The system continuously collects health data via wearable sensors and transmits it to a cloud platform for analysis. Its machine-learning model detected critical cardiac conditions with 95.24% accuracy, which is extremely impressive.
2. Real-time locating systems
Real-time location systems (RTLS) enable immediate tracking and management of assets, staff and patients.RTLS enables providers to track patient movement and resource utilization across the care continuum, improving coordination and efficiency.
Researchers implemented an IoT-based system with RFID wristbands. This system reportedly increased operational efficiency, provided precise patient-location tracking and improved overall patient care.
Observing similar clinical outcomes, researchers introduced an IoT intervention that included smart beds with sensors, hand-hygiene monitors and staff RFID badges. Nurses reported that real-time bed-exit alerts and indicator lights helped reduce patient falls. They also noted increased direct care time following the system’s implementation.
3. Personalized medicine
Traditionally, we understood information technology’s use cases as the four Ps: personalized, predictive, preventive and participatory. Before the development of IoMT and associated technologies, few nonconceptual applications encompassed all four Ps. Now, IoMT offers practical use cases for each of these domains—with particular implications for personalized medicine.
For example, researchers examined whether IoT-enabled remote patient monitoring improved blood pressure control in patients with hypertension. They conducted a retrospective cohort analysis of 6,595 patients who received cellular-connected blood pressure monitors that automatically transmitted readings to clinicians.
After a minimum of 90 days in the remote monitoring program:
- The proportion of patients with uncontrolled hypertension decreased from 66.3% to 40.2%.
- The proportion with stage 2 hypertension declined from 37.5% to 19.1%.
- The mean systolic blood pressure improved by 7.3 mmHg overall and by 16.7 mmHg among patients with severe hypertension at baseline.
Another group of researchers tested an IoT-based intervention to personalize and improve medication adherence among breast cancer survivors on oral therapy. In a randomized controlled trial, they assigned 61 patients on long-term anti-estrogen therapy to a smart pill bottle with a mobile app reminder or to a control group without the IoT intervention.
For four weeks, the pill bottle tracked doses and sent reminder alerts. Participants in the IoT group took 97.3% of prescribed doses on time, compared with 88.3% in the control group. Medication self-efficacy also increased in the IoT group.
Reflecting this, an oncologist wrote on Sermo, “A change in the approach of doctors to data regarding the health status of patients is necessary. For example, many [IoMT-driven] digital therapy apps and software are based on monitoring the patient’s symptoms. These data are often considered more of a nuisance than a help. It is therefore necessary that doctors learn to evaluate these data as useful information and use them also using analytical software.”
Benefits of healthcare IoT solutions
Across applications, researchers associate IoT with improved patient engagement in care decisions and strengthened patient safety. Institutionally, IoMT also may improve operational efficacy.
Challenges of IoT in healthcare
According to a Sermo poll, 16% of respondents believe that adopting and implementing new technologies is healthcare leaders’ greatest challenge.
Achieving interoperability, establishing public trust and ensuring data security are three primary barriers to the adoption and effective utilization of the IoT for healthcare. Policymakers and technologists are actively working to address and mitigate their effects on healthcare systems. Here’s how:
- Achieving interoperability: Over 80% of physicians on Sermo believe technical proficiency is as important as clinical expertise in their practices. Inconsistent standards and communication protocols hinder seamless integration across diverse devices and systems. Without unified frameworks, new solutions require extensive adaptation to interoperate with existing systems.
- Establishing public trust: Limited public awareness of cloud-based health data security weakens trust in IoMT systems. It also reduces the rate of adoption. Patients and clinicians need transparent evidence of personalized benefits and robust safeguards to overcome persistent concerns about privacy breaches and system reliability.
- Ensuring data security: IoMT’s reliance on wireless communications makes it vulnerable to attacks. These breaches can compromise sensitive patient privacy and threaten the integrity of medical services.
Future trends and opportunities for medical IoT
IoMT systems may increasingly supplement or replace traditional health service delivery practices. But further research is needed to test the efficacy of these systems. Points of interest include:
- Designing IoMT devices with standardized protocols that ensure interoperability across international and regional health systems
- Formulating clinical guidelines on digital health prescriptions and establishing remuneration policies for IoT-based primary and secondary care services
- Developing robust codes of practice for secure data management
- Comparing the efficiency of blockchain storage with centralized, cloud-based storage solutions
- Evaluating the acceptability and digital literacy of consumers and clinicians who use IoT to enhance health care delivery and patient experiences
Addressing these research gaps may broaden IoT adoption, strengthen patient-centered care and expand real-world examples of IoT in healthcare.
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On Sermo, physicians discuss the IoT in medical devices—alongside other emerging and consequential technologies. It’s a community where doctors globally collaborate on and discuss topics that matter to them and their patients, with a few laughs along the way.
Interested in discussing IoT’s healthcare applications? Become a Sermo member today.
