The Internet of Things is gaining momentum in MedTech. What kind of new challenges would this area pose for established hardware companies?
Medtech companies traditionally manufacture highly technological, autonomous devices. The IoT enables those instruments to be connected together and connected to instruments from other companies or even different industries.
Integration will be one of the most challenging aspects. Proper and easy integration of the vast numbers of devices is a market demand and necessary to keep key advantages.
Also, companies often struggle to align practices in hardware development with more agile processes necessary for digitized industries, so a more flexible approach will be in high demand.
Our consultants promote the best agile practices and standardised processes in developing IoT systems and digital transformation.
How can the industry profit from the IoT and connecting medtech devices to other industries?
First of all, the IoT means better, fact-based diagnosis. Data science allows us to analyse numerous sources regarding a patient’s condition of illness or disease and recommend treatments or preventive action to a doctor.
Thus, the doctor does not need to rely solely on his experience but can assess and complement the outcome from a sophisticated computer-assisted analysis.
There are also other uses such as personalisation or remote healthcare. For example, the data from your smartwatch can improve diagnostics and help you receive more personalised treatment.
Also, various sensors, cameras and devices can help with monitoring patients who are treated at home, allowing them to function more independently.
There is a lot of space for new ideas and innovation. Another IoT potential lies in a much simpler visualization of the health conditions of individuals, which can lead to greater motivation to live a healthy lifestyle and to better prevention of illnesses.