Srikanth
The one area which IOMT (Internet of Medical Things) will impact lives like it never has before is healthcare. That is true because of multiple reasons. The way the current medical system is totally dependent on the test results of the patients prior to the examination will definitely change. Having the data on the vital signs like heart rate, blood glucose levels and other very important parameters over a course of time will help improve the treatment given to the patients. For one, the doctors don’t have to completely base their diagnosis on the current test results or the previous one which was conducted some six months back. The tracking of patient health history will be very easy. Even the transfer of that data from one hospital to another can be done in a click of a button. All these, beg the same question, then why has the healthcare industry hesitating to adopt the IOMT as soon as possible? And will the adoption transform the way hospitals treat patients? Will 2018 be the answer for all the above questions?
The advancement in the field of IOMT
One thing which is prominent is the number of wearables that are available today. Even smartphones have sensors which can track the person’s health diagnostics and send it over to the hospital. The costs incurred in the manufacturing of the sensors came drastically down, which encouraged the development of fitness trackers and other medical wearables. Not only that the hardware required to support all these sensor data is also becoming more stable and processing is fast. The inclusion of Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC) and Radio Frequency tags (RFID tags) in the devices we use everyday makes the job of adopting to the IOMT much easier. The 5G Networks which are rumored to appear in the mid 2018 will have a huge push on the IOMT.
Advantages
Completing the course of the treatment
This might sound very meagre but the deaths due to incomplete course of treatment are more than that of chronic diseases. IOMT devices will allow patients to take their medication very seriously until the particular course is over.
More accurate diagnosis
When the doctor has access to data which is consistent over a period of time the decision as to which procedure must be followed in the course of the treatment will be better.
Disadvantages
Security and Privacy
IOMT devices are more prone to hacking since they are not connected to any hardware which is capable of taking care of malware threats. Also, once these devices are connected to the network, any discrepancy caused by the device will affect the entire host network rendering it vulnerable for further cyber-attacks. The most important issue here, the patient’s health information is of great importance, any tampering with this data can lead to a different diagnosis for the symptoms which may prove to be harmful or utterly useless.
Discomfort and adaptability
More often than not the tech companies do force the technology on to the users. When it comes to the healthcare sector, technology does play a very vital role, but it can prove to be frustrating at times. When people are not ready to accept, especially aging population who are more reluctant to use technology as part of their treatment, can really spoil the essence of IOMT. Keeping in mind of this factor which is usability the devices must be manufactured. Since, IOMT makes it compulsory for all the patients to be under the monitoring of the said device, the design should fit all age groups.
In terms of technological advancements, IOMT is one of the very thriving fields right now in the tech market. There is a lot of research going on in this field of Information and Communication Technology. But a lot has yet to be achieved, many believe that 2018 can present a decent take on IOMT. However, the question remains – when?
