The Internet of Things (IoT) is a basic concept to understand. Devices everywhere are now connecting to the internet….our phones, coffee makers, and watches now receive and deliver data across the World Wide Web. The only thing to figure out is… how does it affect you?   How can you and others benefit from IoT, and how will those benefits expand in the future? The answer is as simple as a regular check-up with your doctor.

Medicine is gravitating more and more towards technological solutions. Over the past several years, medicine has migrated its physical patient files to electronic databases. These Electronic Health Records (or EMRs) allow doctors and organizations to share and compare patient data with no barrier to distance. The next step in the Medical Internet of Things is how devices present in the home will synchronize with your medical data.   

According to a recent article in the Healthcare Informatics Research (HIR) journal, "The convergence of medicine and information technologies…will transform healthcare as we know it, curbing costs, reducing inefficiencies, and saving lives." The author cites as examples the development of "advanced sensor hardware" such as "wearables for Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis patients…" which monitor the inflicted and provide advice to them regarding their medication. The author predicts similar sensors in inhalers and autoinjectors will also collect data to assist the patient and physician in their care. Kristina Furlan, data solutions project manager at the medical emergency specialist company Physio-Control, noted in an interview with Forbes, " Internet connectivity will, among other capabilities, allow previously disparate medical devices to interact with one another, [providing links to] care providers inside and outside the hospital…"      

In other words, the connectivity of all devices that capture our data, from thermometers to blood pressures, will someday be able to be uploading seamlessly and accurately into our medical records.

Be sure to contact us for information on these and other important technological advances available not just in the future, but today.