Background
Healthcare IoT is an area of IoT that relies on wireless connectivity to help companies create cost-effective, patient-centered IoT solutions that enable governments to ease pressure on healthcare institutions and treat their aging population with dignity and care. As lifespans continue to increase, so do the chronic, costly conditions those people live with. That increased population – in tandem with budget and staff shortages – is putting unprecedented strain on taxpayer-funded healthcare systems across Europe, where there is an estimated shortage of nearly 1 million health workers. By using IoT-connected devices to remotely monitor patients and virtually connect them to providers, healthcare IoT creates “virtual wards” that help free up vital hospital beds and prevent costly, unnecessary doctor visits. It also enables the aging population to live independently longer while offering healthcare to individuals with disabilities or who live in remote areas.
Healthcare IoT is crucial for governments looking to manage skyrocketing healthcare costs while still providing patient-centered care. IoT-powered sensors give healthcare providers the ability to remotely monitor vital signs while a patient is at home. If those sensors deliver a life-threatening reading, emergency services are immediately alerted and dispatched to the patient’s home. With the click of a button, patients can directly speak with hospital staff, request to have a nurse dispatched, or simply give a status update, all from the comfort of their own home – freeing up hospital beds for those requiring emergency operations or care.
Challenge
The challenge in orchestrating connected healthcare solutions for hospital use cases is reliable connectivity. Patients receiving care remotely are given monitoring devices that contain sensors that wirelessly transmit data, such as blood pressure and oxygen level, back to hospital staff, who then decide to continue monitoring the patient remotely or have them brought in for care. The entire system is contingent upon wireless connectivity in order to function. To make their solutions safe and viable for patients and providers, healthcare IoT companies had to make the technology, specifically connectivity, as seamless and reliable as possible. Delivering reliable connectivity requires a solution that will ensure a stable connection is constantly maintained so the various parts of the system are able to communicate with one another effectively.
Solution
KORE connectivity enables remote monitoring devices to connect to the network and be wirelessly configured, allowing for uninterrupted monitoring of patient vitals, as well as 24/7 two-way communication between providers, patients, and emergency services. Also, KORE manages the complete IoT device lifecycle enabling the efficient management and scale of the remote patient monitoring solution. Services range from pre-production planning, staging and kitting to deployment and returns management services. The connectivity, mobile device management and support KORE offers make it simple to achieve infallible connectivity to support patient-centered, data-driven connected health operations.
The Result
Supporting healthcare IoT makes connected health services like remote patient monitoring more efficient and cost-effective for both healthcare systems and taxpayers. Healthcare IoT companies can be confident their systems are operating reliably, which eases the burden on hospitals and ensures patients have a more comfortable experience at home, without compromising the quality of data, diagnostics, and overall care.
