The
benefit of IoT in various industries has been transforming commercial
activities. Similarly, healthcare has significantly benefited healthcare
services, supply chains of hospital supplies, remote monitoring of patients and
hospitals, and management of infectious diseases.
The
oxygen supply at hospitals can be tracked with IoT devices. The usage of oxygen
to various patients can also be monitored to ensure transparency in the system.
With increasing IoT automation in healthcare, there are efficient and
transparent channels of data gathering, analysis, and processing.
This
analysis goes a long way in improving healthcare infrastructure, transportation
of resources and personnel, and healthcare supply chains. IoT careers for those involved in IoT in healthcare as
well as data analytics in healthcare will be on the rise.
Monitoring
medical equipment
With the use of RFID tags and
sensors, oxygen equipment, as well as other essential resource equipment, can
be traced. This saves considerable time, effort, and expenses involved in
locating resources urgently. With regular monitoring, the stock of supplies can
be replenished accordingly.
When the hospital is running low
on oxygen or other critical supplies, the IoT systems automatically detect the
depleting stock and place orders for more. Even low-cost medical supplies are
appropriately monitored and stocked, be it gloves, syringes, masks, and
sanitizing materials.
Data regarding equipment usage
can also be efficiently tracked in real-time. There is no need to allocate
human resources to oversee these activities. Hospital personnel can focus on
patient care. With better equipment tracking, there are lesser losses of parts,
fewer instances of theft, and it is easier to locate equipment on the hospital
premises. This helps in enhancing overall hospital efficiency.
Predictive
maintenance
With IoT applications installed
in hospitals, various expensive and critical equipment and diagnostic machinery
are tracked and monitored. Sensors and electronics are deployed to track the
machine condition, efficiency, accuracy, and niggling problems.
Any potential breakdowns are
immediately detected and corrective measures can be taken. Predictive
maintenance helps in sudden breakdowns as the machinery is regularly monitored.
IoT automation in healthcare helps in reducing breakdown costs and extends the
lifecycle of medical equipment.
IoT and vital sign monitoring
of patients
IoT devices seamlessly monitor
vital parameters of patients with the help of wearables and other
sensor-equipped devices. A patient’s temperature, respiration rates, blood
pressure, pulse rate, and oxygen saturation are monitored in real-time.
Healthcare personnel will be kept abreast instantly if the patient is in any
distress and requires oxygen or other support. IoT in healthcare can be
especially helpful in maintaining a patient’s digital healthcare records. The
doctors and nurses on various shifts are kept abreast of any changes in the
patient’s condition, medications, and interactions.
IoT monitoring of patients has
assumed monumental significance during the Covid pandemic. With the need to
isolate Covid patients, real-time monitoring of patients is possible with IoT
systems. Their vitals can be tracked remotely.
The physical interactions can be
minimized thereby reducing the risk of infection for healthcare workers as well
as the spread of infection. Portable monitors help in tracking the patient’s
vital signs. The patient’s need for oxygen can be seamlessly addressed based on
the IoT real-time patient data.
IoT in tackling oxygen supply
at hospitals
During the Covid-19 pandemic, there
is an increasing need for medical oxygen as patients suffer from low oxygen
saturation and experience breathlessness. Hospitals are often running out of
oxygen supplies and are unable to treat patients.
The manufacture and
transportation of medical oxygen supplies are critical to the entire healthcare
setup, especially during these crisis times. Medical-grade oxygen must meet
stringent regulatory requirements to prevent contamination. To tide over the
critical period of oxygen scarcity, industrial-grade oxygen manufacturing units
have been repurposed to produce oxygen for medical use.
The use of IoT automation
simplifies the process of overseeing these activities and allowing for easier
tracking. With real-time data and analysis of data from different healthcare
facilities by IoT applications, the oxygen demand can be forecast more
accurately.
These forecasting plans can
assist oxygen suppliers. IoT in logistics is particularly helpful in the
distribution of oxygen to various hospitals. The number of tankers, their
capacity, and their location can be tracked. Warehousing facilities to store oxygen
cylinders can be better monitored.
Conclusion
Medical oxygen is a critical
hospital supply, more so in Covid times. With efficient use of IoT systems, bottlenecks
in the supply chain can be quickly addressed. Routing of cylinders to areas of
requirement can be planned and monitored better.
In this humanitarian medical
crisis, IoT systems can support the healthcare initiatives to tide over the
oxygen shortage and provided much-need support. This situation will also throw
up several IoT
jobs for aspiring professionals.
