The short answer
IoT in healthcare connects sensors and devices – wearables, home monitors, implants, ingestible capsules and tags on hospital equipment – so that health and operational data is collected automatically and sent to apps, clinicians or hospital systems. Examples include remote patient monitoring, continuous glucose monitors paired with apps, connected inhalers that log each use over Bluetooth, and location tags that help staff find equipment such as wheelchairs and pumps.
How IoT works in healthcare
Healthcare IoT, often called the Internet of Medical Things, uses connected devices to collect health and operational data automatically. Wearables and sensors record vital signs, heart rate, physical activity and other health data, and transmit it to healthcare providers, apps or hospital systems where it can be reviewed.
- SenseA wearable, home monitor, implant or tag measures a value or records an event.
- ConnectThe device sends the data, often over Bluetooth to a phone app or over a network to a gateway.
- StoreThe data lands in an app, a cloud service or an electronic health record.
- ActThe app reminds or alerts the user, or clinicians and staff review the data.
Different participants use the same building blocks in different ways. Patients use connected devices to follow their own health and keep up their care routines. Physicians receive current data from wearables and home monitors without an in-person visit. Hospitals use IoT to manage assets, monitor the environment, track equipment, run supply chains and control access to sensitive areas with biometric scanners.
Examples of IoT healthcare solutions
Remote patient monitoring
Devices at home automatically collect heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and other health metrics from patients who are not in a healthcare facility, and send them to the care team. A patient who still needs observation can be supervised remotely.
Health data and electronic health records
Healthcare relies on data collected from IoT devices. An electronic health record (EHR) can combine a continuous stream of device data with data entered manually, and digital records are easier to manage, less likely to be lost and take no physical space compared with paper.
Medical systems management
Hospitals can have complex systems that deliver medical gases, where the supply and ratio must stay stable. Controlling them manually is difficult and risky, so an IoT or embedded system can monitor the gas supply and visualise usage and changes in the data.
Location services
Equipment such as wheelchairs, defibrillators, pumps and scales is tagged with IoT sensors so staff can find a spare or misplaced item quickly. The same tags help suppliers track small devices and healthcare products in transit so they are not lost or stolen.
Automation of routines
Connectivity takes over manual routines such as data exchange, asset tracking, workflow organisation, climate control at home or in hospitals, and notifications, including medication reminders.
Examples of IoT medical devices and how they work
| Device | What it measures or does | How it works |
|---|---|---|
| Continuous glucose monitor (CGM) | Glucose level in the fluid between cells | A sensor placed under the skin, paired with an app that shows readings and sends reminders; some designs are combined with a pump that delivers insulin based on the readings |
| Heart rate monitor | Heart rate over time | Records continuously so the care team can review the data for abnormalities that periodic checks would miss |
| General wearables | Activity and general health indicators | Fitness trackers, smart watches, smart bands and smart clothing |
| Medical wearables | Specific medical values | Purpose-built devices such as CGMs, blood pressure trackers and heart rate trackers |
| Connected inhaler | Time, date and location of each use | Connects to a mobile app over Bluetooth; the app reminds the user of the next dose and alerts on incorrect use or a forgotten inhaler |
| Smart implant | Monitoring, diagnosis or treatment inside the body | Implanted devices such as cardiac implants, neurostimulators, cochlear and retinal implants and smart prosthetics; connectivity extends what the device can report and be adjusted for |
| Ingestible sensor | Conditions in the digestive tract | A swallowable capsule that can measure pH, capture images or detect bleeding, as a less invasive way to gather data |
Security and interoperability
Health information is highly sensitive and is regulated, for example by HIPAA in the United States, which governs how it is collected and used. If devices and data storage are not secured, the information can be stolen or misused.
What a connected health system needs
- Secure IoT hardware and software from the first design
- Proper use and management of devices so that patient data is not reachable by unauthorised people
- Integration between devices and systems, which is hard when devices use proprietary protocols
Today IoT devices are strong at automating routines and gathering data accurately, while interpreting that data is still left to people. Adding artificial intelligence and machine learning to devices is the next step being explored to make them more autonomous.
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