Controlling electricity and water consumption Internet of Things is often applied to optimize business and increase the level of comfort in everyday tasks. However, it can also be integrated into the healthcare world for medical purposes. Although research is still underway to exploit this technology to the full, there are a multitude of applications for the so-called Internet of Medical Things.
At Zemsania Global Group we are committed to the evolution of traditional industry towards Industry 4.0. Therefore, we believe that the exploitation of IoT should be diversified in different professional areas.
The use of the Internet of Medical Things has increased by 9.2% this year according to the IoT Barometer 2017/2018 of Vodafone. It is noted that this technology is growing, The fact is that many IoT tools are already available that can be applied to the world of healthcare. The following is a breakdown of some of the practical applications of IoT. IoMT.
AI
Improving patient health through Artificial Intelligence and Big Data. is already possible. The Internet of Medical Things implements AI to accumulate data to execute actions for the benefit of medicine. A concrete example of this would be Hikari, an AI born in 2015 under the tutelage of Fujistu and the Hospital Clínico San Carlos de Madrid. The aim of the project is to reduce the number of suicides in patients.
During 2015, 3,602 people took their own lives in Spain according to the National Institute of Statistics. This trend may be reduced through the use of Hikari, as it allows physicians to prevent self-injurious behavior.
Hikari cross-checks a huge amount of data, which it then analyzes. Thus, healthcare professionals can predict which patients are at risk of termination of life. In addition, this data processing makes it easier for doctors to make decisions to treat their patients.
However, this technology is not intended to replace the human being. Its main objective is to save time for doctors so that they can treat patients in a more personalized way.
In the Fujistu Forum held this year in Munich revealed some interesting facts about Hikari. This AI collects more than two million scientific studies and 36,000 previous diagnoses. In addition, it takes into account habits such as friendships, residence or the consumption of harmful substances. Hikari can also identify the risk of suicide and alcohol and drug abuse in a range of 85 to 90% of cases as published by El País. The data Hikari works with are anonymous., The privacy of patients is not at stake.
Other application cases of AI in the Internet of Medical Things can be found in the social networks. Google, Facebook and Instagram also use AI tools to observe suicidal tendencies. They analyze hashtags, posts and streams to assess these aspects.
Telemedicine
Telemedicine refers to the provision of remote clinical services through communications infrastructures. This technology allows patients to be monitored remotely, as is the case with Hikari, but with the addition of other uses. For example, generates data exchange channels between different medical centers, This streamlines the management of patient information. Telemedicine is not only data-driven, but can also be interactive. This way of accessing medical services at a distance enables physicians and patients to interact in real time.
If we have an emergency we can make a consultation with our doctor to check the seriousness of the matter. This way, we will know if we have to travel in a hurry or if we can treat ourselves at home. Telemedicine is a way to fight unequal access to medical resources.
Wareables and Big Data
A Dutch medical center called Sint Maartenskliniek gives out weareables to patients, which measure your vital data and analyze your movements. All the data generated from these objects is uploaded to the cloud, so that doctors can access patients' progress without the need to be in the hospital.
There are applications that allow us to measure the quality of our sleep and monitor our calorie expenditure. In addition, some wearables can monitor the level of stress we suffer throughout the workday in order to reduce it. They can also analyze your blood pressure level, track your weight and calculate your body temperature.
To top it off, the Propeller company has created an application called Air that monitors and improves the habits of asthma sufferers. The app collects data thanks to a special inhaler with integrated sensors. Air monitors the frequency of asthma symptoms to help people suffering from this common disease.
All these technological possibilities are not only useful on their own, but can be combined to obtain complex results. The Internet of Medical Things is growing, so we do not yet know how far it can go. As we can see, Industry 4.0 not only benefits organizations, but can be applied in very diversified environments. The basic purpose of this technology is, in conclusion, to improve the quality of life of its users.