The Internet of Things has introduced smart cities with a whole new perspective of accessibility. With IoT, one can monitor, supervise or even control objects remotely. Telemedicine is the next big thing for the healthcare industry. Remote monitoring of patients is one of the ways to always ensure that patients’ vital parameters are healthy. Patient surveillance can instantly alert healthcare workers in case of urgent patient conditions.
Moreover, patient surveillance systems can allow doctors to keep a watch over their patients remotely. Therefore, monitoring patients with the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) can result in lesser hospital admission and operational costs. As per investment banking company Goldman Sachs, the implementation of IoMT can save $300 Billion for the healthcare industry.
Patient Surveillance Systems In Action
Telemedicine is not a new concept, and the healthcare market has shown significant interest in it. Moreover, remote consultation allows patients to access healthcare resources quicker. A patient surveillance system refers to remote monitoring of vital parameters through the internet. This monitoring can allow tracking patients remotely in the hospital or can be helpful to connect with patients across the globe. Such systems ensure a win-win situation for both patients and healthcare providers. Here are the key advantages of implementing a patient surveillance system:
- Remote accessibility
Conventionally, it was a must for a doctor or nurse to manually monitor a patient’s health status at fixed intervals. However, remote accessibility will update doctors & loved ones with real-time data of vital signs automatically. Accordingly, multiple doctors can collaborate better on complex cases by simultaneous monitoring of parameters.
- Quicker & efficient healthcare
Hospital admission, physical checkups, and getting an appointment can be exhausting at times. In the worst case, lack of immediate healthcare can result in severe casualties. Nonetheless, with remote patient monitoring, one can get the initial attention of available doctors quickly right through their smartphones.
- Alerts & notifications
For critical situations, doctors can get instant alerts automatically. These alerts would help patients get instant attention and can save lives as a result. Such alerts can be given online, over the mobile app, or even on-premise with indicators like buzzers.
- Distress signal & fall detection
A patient surveillance system would allow patients to call a nurse for help. As such, patients can get the proper attention whenever they feel any distress. Similarly, patient surveillance systems can instantly alert for any fall or accident.
How Do Patient Surveillance Systems work?
Patient surveillance may vary based on the particular patient’s case. However, there are a few common telemedicine applications that are already thriving on the market. Monitoring vital body parameters is the way to identify different symptoms. Therefore, there are a set of parameters that patient health monitoring system can monitor, including:
- ECG/EKG
Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) sensor is a vital parameter as it reflects a patient’s heart’s activity through electrical signals. It could be the most critical insight to monitor patients with heart diseases.
- Blood pressure
A wearable blood pressure monitor can be wrapped on the arm. This sensor can provide the information for exact blood pressure while reflecting the patient’s state.
- Respiration rate
Respiration rate is also one of the alarming parameters to monitor. A patient surveillance system can raise an alert if a patient’s breathing rate goes below the threshold.
- Blood Glucose
Health conditions like diabetes have no cure, therefore they require continuous monitoring throughout life. Blood glucose sensors can offer great value for patient surveillance.
- Oxygen Saturation (SPO2)
Oxygen saturation reflects the precise amount of oxygen in the blood. A health monitoring system can track if the oxygen saturation levels are out of line.
- Galvanic skin sensor
Galvanic skin response measures the response from sweat glands. It is the reflection of a patient’s emotional state or mood. As a result, doctors & the patient’s loved ones can get idea about patient’s mental state.
- Temperature
Body temperature is the simple tracking of any fever or change in body temperature. Temperature tracking assures that a patient’s health is reflecting positively on the medication.
- Movement detection
It is essential to monitor the natural body movement of patients with the help of 9-axis sensors. Movement detection can also reflect on a patient’s sleep activity for an insightful treatment.
Healthy Outcome
Undoubtedly, IoT is the key to connect and communicate remotely. Efficient communication and the exchange of information are essential for healthcare. Health parameter monitoring sensors are proven, accurate, and efficient with their operation. Furthermore, computer vision & AI can allow even better insights with the help of a camera. To conclude based on the development so far, IoMT and remote patient surveillance systems are the future of the medical ecosystem in smart cities.
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