The healthcare industry is undergoing a profound transformation, thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT). The integration of IoT technology into healthcare systems is revolutionizing patient care, treatment processes, and medical research. In this article, we’ll explore how IoT is making its mark on the healthcare sector, its key applications, benefits, and the implications for the future of healthcare.

IoT in Healthcare: A Game Changer

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the network of interconnected physical devices, vehicles, buildings, and other objects embedded with sensors, software, and network connectivity that allows them to collect and exchange data. In healthcare, IoT is enabling the collection and analysis of vast amounts of patient data, promoting remote monitoring, and enhancing the efficiency of medical facilities.

Key Applications of IoT in Healthcare

1. Remote Patient Monitoring

IoT has enabled healthcare providers to remotely monitor patients with chronic conditions. Wearable devices, such as smartwatches and sensors, collect real-time data on vital signs, activity levels, and other health parameters. This data is transmitted to healthcare providers who can intervene when necessary, offering timely care and preventing hospital readmissions.

2. Smart Medical Devices

IoT is giving rise to a new generation of smart medical devices. From connected inhalers that monitor medication usage to intelligent pill dispensers that send medication adherence reminders, these devices help patients manage their health more effectively and enable healthcare providers to track patient compliance.

3. Telemedicine

Telemedicine, or remote medical consultations, has seen tremendous growth with the help of IoT. Video conferencing and remote monitoring tools allow patients to consult with healthcare professionals from the comfort of their homes. This approach not only increases access to care but also reduces the burden on healthcare facilities.

4. Asset and Inventory Management

IoT is improving the management of medical equipment and supplies. Sensors can track the location and status of medical devices, ensuring their availability when needed. This results in cost savings and reduces the risk of delays in patient care.

5. Clinical Workflow Optimization

IoT can optimize clinical workflows by connecting various systems and devices. For example, electronic health records (EHRs) can be seamlessly integrated with diagnostic equipment, automating data transfer and reducing the risk of errors.

6. Hospital and Home Automation

IoT extends to the management of hospital infrastructure and home care. Smart building systems can control lighting, heating, and cooling, ensuring a comfortable environment for patients. Similarly, home automation systems can be integrated with healthcare devices to support independent living for elderly or disabled individuals.

7. Drug Management and Compliance

IoT is used to monitor drug storage conditions, ensuring that medications remain effective and safe. It can also help patients adhere to their medication regimens by sending reminders and tracking consumption.

Benefits of IoT in Healthcare

The integration of IoT in healthcare offers numerous advantages:

1. Improved Patient Outcomes

Remote monitoring and real-time data analysis enable healthcare providers to intervene promptly when health parameters deviate from normal ranges. This leads to improved patient outcomes, reduced hospital readmissions, and better management of chronic conditions.

2. Enhanced Efficiency

IoT streamlines healthcare workflows by automating various processes, such as patient data entry and medical equipment tracking. This reduces administrative burden, frees up staff time, and reduces errors.

3. Cost Savings

Efficiency gains and improved patient outcomes often translate into cost savings for healthcare facilities and patients. Preventing hospital readmissions and complications reduces the overall cost of care.

4. Increased Accessibility

Telemedicine and remote monitoring extend healthcare access to underserved or remote areas. Patients can consult with specialists without the need for long-distance travel, making healthcare more accessible.

5. Personalized Treatment

IoT allows for personalized treatment plans by continuously monitoring a patient’s condition and adjusting treatment regimens accordingly. This personalized approach often leads to more effective treatment and improved patient satisfaction.

Challenges and Considerations

While IoT in healthcare offers significant benefits, it also poses challenges and considerations:

1. Data Security and Privacy

Healthcare data is sensitive and subject to strict privacy regulations. The secure storage and transmission of patient data is of utmost importance to maintain patient trust and regulatory compliance.

2. Interoperability

IoT devices and systems must be compatible and interoperable to ensure seamless data exchange and integration. This requires the development and adoption of common standards.

3. Regulatory Compliance

The healthcare industry is heavily regulated, and IoT solutions must adhere to these regulations. Compliance with standards such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is crucial.

4. Data Overload

The continuous collection of patient data can result in information overload. Healthcare providers need effective tools for data management and interpretation to extract valuable insights.

5. Resistance to Change

The adoption of IoT in healthcare requires a cultural shift and staff training. Resistance to change can be a barrier to successful implementation.

The Future of IoT in Healthcare

As technology continues to advance, the future of IoT in healthcare looks promising. Here are some trends and developments to watch for:

1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration

IoT and AI will work hand in hand to analyze vast amounts of patient data and offer insights for diagnosis, treatment, and predictive healthcare.

2. Wearable Health Tech

Wearable devices will continue to evolve, becoming more sophisticated and integrated into daily life. They will offer not only health monitoring but also wellness and lifestyle recommendations.

3. 5G Connectivity

The rollout of 5G networks will provide faster and more reliable connectivity for IoT devices, enabling real-time data transmission and analysis.

4. Blockchain Technology

Blockchain can be used to enhance the security and integrity of healthcare data, ensuring that patient records remain accurate and private.

5. Telehealth Expansion

The growth of telehealth and remote monitoring will continue, extending healthcare access and reducing the need for in-person visits.

Conclusion

IoT is reshaping the healthcare industry, making it more patient-centric, efficient, and accessible. The integration of IoT devices and systems allows for real-time patient monitoring, personalized treatment plans, and enhanced efficiency in healthcare facilities.

Challenges related to data security, interoperability, and regulatory compliance must be addressed to ensure the benefits of IoT in healthcare are fully realized. As IoT technology continues to advance, it will remain a driving force in transforming healthcare, offering a glimpse into a future where healthcare is not just about treating illness but also about preventing it and promoting overall well-being.

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Introduction and Overview

It probably won’t surprise you that the Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing the healthcare industry, creating new opportunities for improved patient care, cost reduction, and operational efficiency. However, the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) looks to bring even more innovation to the healthcare sector. IoMT includes some systems that were already staples of IoT, such as remote monitoring systems and wearable technology devices. However, IoMT expands the field through implanted devices and other smart connected devices that can feed critical and expensive or hard-to-access data back to healthcare providers.

Market Highlights

The market for this technology now appears set to grow from approximately $48.7 billion in 2022 to $370.9 billion by 2032, at a projected Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 23.15% (Source: Market.us). All signs suggest that North America will continue to be the most important region, given a market share of 35.8%. In comparison with other global regions, North America’s embrace of IoMT and the accompanying adoption of advanced healthcare technologies has been faster and more widespread. In turn, the availability of these technologies has driven demand for remote patient monitoring technologies and services.

The global COVID-19 pandemic also radically shifted the boundaries of medical technology, and it is no exaggeration to call this a turning point in the widespread adoption of IoMT devices in healthcare. During the pandemic, remote consultations, monitoring of vital signs, symptoms, and other health parameters, and vaccine distribution and administration have been widely adopted through IoMT devices. Moreover, the vast amount of health data generated during the pandemic has provided valuable insights for trend analysis and better-informed decision-making, leading to improved strategies for managing the pandemic and other healthcare challenges.

Trends Shaping Market Growth

There are several factors currently shaping the growth of IoT in healthcare. Technological advancements in connected devices, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud computing, have significantly improved the capabilities of IoMT devices and their potential impact on patient care. The increase in chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases, has also led to a higher demand for remote patient monitoring. This presents a key opportunity for IoMT by allowing healthcare providers to monitor patients remotely and provide early intervention, with improved patient outcomes and decreased hospitalization rates and shorter stays.

In addition to these driving factors, several trending factors are shaping the future of healthcare delivery through the integration of IoT technologies. The use of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, edge computing, blockchain, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and smart sensors, enables more efficient and personalized healthcare services. AI-enabled algorithms can perform in-depth real-time analysis on impossibly large amounts of health data streaming from IoMT devices. This analysis can identify patterns and trends for better decision-making and truly personalized treatment plans. Cutting-edge techniques and technologies like Edge Computing and widespread 5G also reduce latency and increase the speed of data transfers, enabling more data to move ever more easily. Taken together, these trends are leading toward a likely scenario where wearable tech alone will be worth $54 billion by the end of 2023 (Source: GlobalData).

IoMT Applications and Use Cases

IoMT devices are being used in various applications across the healthcare industry, including physiotherapy and sports/fitness therapy. Wearable medical devices, such as fitness trackers and smartwatches, are expected to dominate the IoMT market, holding the largest share of 45% (Source: Market.us). These devices are widely used for personal health monitoring, fitness tracking, and chronic disease management, among other applications.

One of the key benefits of IoMT devices is their ability to enhance patient engagement and empower individuals to take control of their health. Wearable medical devices enable patients to track their physical activity, sleep patterns, heart rate, and other health parameters, to make informed decisions about their health and lifestyle. Patients with chronic conditions can use IoMT devices to monitor their health parameters at home and share the data with their healthcare providers, enabling remote monitoring and personalized care plans.

Another major reason for the appeal of IoMT devices is their ability to improve patient safety and slash the costs of delivering healthcare. For example, medication dispensers with smart technology can help prevent medication errors by providing reminders and alerts to patients, ensuring timely and accurate medication administration. Smart hospital beds equipped with IoMT sensors can monitor patient movements, pressure points, and other parameters to prevent pressure ulcers and improve patient comfort.

For a deeper insight into IoMT, we’ll now consider the work of Softeq, a full-stack digital transformation and IoT development company, in building firmware for a custom skin cancer screening device.

Case Study: Firmware for a Non-Invasive Custom Skin Cancer Screening Device

The use of Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) devices has revolutionized the healthcare industry, with applications ranging from fitness tracking to chronic disease management. A medical device manufacturer with a specialization in skin cancer screening wanted to create a portable device that was capable of scanning for skin cancer non-invasively. The company turned to Softeq to test this idea’s viability and to create the firmware on which the device would ultimately run.

The Softeq team developed a complex hardware and software system using cutting-edge mobile hardware and software. The device had LED lights, a speaker, an accelerometer, a display, and other hardware components. It included a pair of photodetectors and a force sensor, collectively used to create a real-time visual representation of the patient’s skin.

The system observed how quickly blood was refilled in suspect skin lesions and analyzed the data using custom algorithms. It had firmware and software that included an audiovisual guide with error messages, LED lights calibrated to enhance the sensitivity of the photodetector, and the ability to store over 100 test results in its memory. The system also had a custom Linux BSP and drivers, built-in flash memory-based software, optimized Linux boot-time, firmware updates via USB, and secure login via SSH protocol.

Conclusion

It should be clear by now that IoT devices for healthcare and IoMT devices are completely transforming the health sector. However, there are a few things to be cautious of if you’re considering an internet of medical things project. In particular, the collection and transmission of sensitive patient data by IoMT devices pose significant concerns in terms of data privacy and security. In designing and constructing IoT in healthcare projects, it is vital to protect this data to safeguard patient privacy and comply with regulatory requirements like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Interoperability and standardization are also challenges, making it essential that you work with an experienced Healthcare Internet of Things development company like Softeq.

The bottom line is that IoMT devices are revolutionizing the healthcare industry by enabling remote patient monitoring, improving patient engagement, enhancing patient safety, and optimizing healthcare asset management. However, challenges related to data privacy, security, interoperability, and standardization need to be addressed to fully realize the potential of IoMT in improving patient care and outcomes. As technology continues to advance, IoMT is expected to play a crucial role in shaping the future of healthcare by enabling personalized, proactive, and patient-centric care.

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The pandemic pushed the digitization of the healthcare industry forward. IT technologies, such as healthcare IoT, have helped provide quality care in the comfort of one’s home and drive telehealth solutions’ popularity. Though the advances of IoT in healthcare are already significant, there is still room for growth. The IoT medical device market is expected to develop proactively and reach $94.2bn by 2026, according to MarketsandMarkets.

Although the prognosis is inspiring, IoT deployment could be a challenging endeavor. For healthcare providers, another digital tool means an additional investment. So what are the significant benefits of IoT that could justify it?

IoT for healthcare: why is it important?

In the healthcare industry, IoT powers the crucial aspects of hospital operation – remote patient monitoring and hospital management automation.

Remote patient monitoring

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) is a relatively new way of care delivery patients can get from where they are due to IoT medical devices connected to the Internet. Connected IoT devices collect patients’ vitals 24/7 and upload them to a cloud, EHR, or another secure data storage. Then, patients can share their records with doctors. Thanks to the availability of the patient’s health indicators over time, doctors can early detect general tendencies and alarming signs in the patient’s health parameters.

Smart hospital management

IoT in healthcare is not only about monitoring patients remotely. The technology also brings operational benefits to healthcare providers. For example, IoT-based technology enables automated inventory management. IoT- and RFID-powered tools help hospital staff keep track of drugs, medical products, equipment, and workflows, improving visibility and reducing expenses.

Healthcare IoT: top 3 benefits

We’ve selected the top three benefits that prove a hospital’s investments in IoT bring value.

Cost savings

Chronic condition patients require the most expensive treatment. As MDLinx reports, 90% of the hefty annual healthcare spending in the US goes for treating chronic patients or managing their conditions. Logically, care providers seek to lower the costs preventing relapses and improving the quality of life for those patients. This is where remote patient monitoring can help.

For example, Vheda Health, a chronic care company from Columbia, Maryland, created a digital chronic management platform that manages high-risk chronic conditions with the help of remote monitoring technologies. Patients received a care package based on their health condition, including a customized mobile device and remote monitoring device. This helps patients to monitor their health better, preventing additional hospital admissions and reducing healthcare expenses. As a result, in 2021, Vheda Health’s customers reduced their healthcare costs by over 41%.

Long-awaited offer for patients

Patients prefer to avoid visits to a clinic. First, it’s about the cost. Secondly, the American Journal of Managed Care researchers found that going to the provider’s premises takes at least 100 minutes. Meanwhile, the actual appointment covers only a fifth of that time. The rest goes for traveling to the location and waiting in line. As a result, the Medical Group Management Association reported that 49% of medical groups witnessed an increase in no-show rates in 2022. However, missing the due appointments may worsen patients’ health outcomes and quality of life.

Some healthcare providers opt for home care to spare patients the need to travel to the hospital, and IoT for healthcare can help here. Thus, UMass Memorial Hospital from Worcester, Massachusetts, partnered up with Current Health, a home-based care company. Current Health produces sensors and remote monitoring devices to ensure at-home care to chronic condition patients and those recovering from different physical traumas or surgeries.

Due to the cooperation with Current Health, the clinic managed to serve more patients outside of the hospital setting. The clinic set up an at-home care program and gave the interested patients armbands that measure their heart rate, skin temperature, and blood oxygen level. They also gave patients iPads for round-the-clock access to their assigned clinicians.

The new care delivery model was successful. The hospital provided home care to nine to twelve patients daily. As a result, the facility’s one-month readmission rate was reduced by 20-30%. Among other benefits are a lower rate of infections and deep vein thrombosis in the participants compared to inpatients.

Working with Current Health, UMass Memorial managed to improve care in the community. They also resolved the problem of the low bed capacity typical of Central Massachusetts clinics.

Improved visibility and workflows

As a part of hospital inventory management solutions, IoT tools offer hospital staff a range of features that help speed up some work processes and boost their effectiveness.

For example, medical IoT streamlines stock tracking and searching for drugs, products, and other medical goods. It enables a user to find the necessary item with just a click. Besides, users stay informed about the item’s status. Users can also activate alerts about item status updates.

Besides, users can check the history of operations on the items, the actors, and the updates they made. This feature gives the staff crystal-clear visibility of the item’s journey across the hospital and the clinicians responsible for the changes.

Inventory management solutions can also help clinicians modify established workflows. For instance, In Los Angeles, California, Adventist Health White Memorial clinic managed to accelerate the turnaround time in their operating room by about 25 minutes thanks to the radio frequency identification technology (RFID) employed. As a result, the team reduced patient wait time at all checkpoints, from registration to postoperative recovery.

Conclusions

Implementing specific IoT solutions in the healthcare industry provides benefits that help resolve critical challenges providers face daily. First, it’s about saving the funds that are always insufficient. For instance, remote patient monitoring fosters timely prevention of relapses and unplanned hospital stays, which are expensive for patients and healthcare providers. Such tools can also speed up the diagnostics and treatment of diverse diseases and injuries.

Secondly, IoT-driven patient monitoring tools power a care provision model patients enjoy the most – at-home care. Home-based care suits chronic condition patients, those recovering from contagious diseases and fractures, and those with difficulties traveling to the facility. At-home care improves patient outcomes and their experience. For providers, it offers better ways to manage their resources.

As a part of a hospital inventory management solution, healthcare IoT helps providers improve the visibility of their operations and streamline the established workflows. For example, clinicians and nurses can view who is responsible for a task, what they should do, when, and with who. Improved visibility can assist with rapid response to unexpected situations and successful crisis resolution.

All of the above justifies the investment in healthcare IoT solutions, as they help upscale hospital services and improve patient outcomes, experience, and satisfaction.

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The development of telehealth in recent years has optimized operations in medicine by providing diverse medical services remotely. By reducing the need for transport, use of on-site facilities, and chances of cancellations or delays, telehealth has heightened efficiency for both patients and healthcare professionals.

Today, the growing incorporation of the Internet of Things (IoT) contributes to the further development of telehealth technologies. In fact, Future Market Insights predicts that the IoT in the global healthcare market will grow at an 18.0% year-over-year, rising from US$ 181.4 billion (€177.9 billion) in 2022 to US$ 952.3 billion (€934.1 billion) by 2023.

If you’re curious to see how IoT is incorporated into telehealth and what its benefits are, then read ahead.

Benefits of IoT in telehealth processes

IoT refers to physical devices that make use of technologies like sensors and processing abilities to collect data and facilitate its communication to other systems through the internet. Applied to telehealth, these devices can function as remote monitoring devices for patients, fitness and wellness trackers, and dose reminders for medications.

One of its largest benefits is increasing accessibility for patients, particularly for the elderly and disabled. Wheel’s article on how telehealth can help make healthcare more accessible points out that for seniors and mobility-impaired individuals, the time needed and stress encountered in getting to and from doctor appointments can discourage them from pursuing consistent treatments. IoT-enabled telehealth devices can lessen the frequency of trips to a medical institution by automating the monitoring process.

IoT can also lessen the strain on medical professionals, as telemedicine technology may allow healthcare providers to care for more patients. Project Hope notes that there will be a healthcare worker deficit of 80 million globally by 2030. This seriously compromises the ability to meet patient needs. But IoT in telehealth can shorten clinical visits, prevent emergency treatments through remote detection, and make patient data access more efficient. It also reduces the likelihood of transferring viruses like the seasonal flu or a cold, keeping both patients and providers healthier.

Uses of IoT in telehealth today

The uses of IoT in telehealth today primarily fall on remote patient monitoring. HealthTech reports that remote patient monitoring and the data collected through it can prevent admissions, yield better clinical outcomes, and empower patients to improve their health.

Patients and doctors can easily track their progress through the automated recording of patients’ vitals and fitness. As such, doctors can remotely monitor patients without needing them to come in. Patients, too, can better observe the follow-through. In addition to monitoring their vitals, their devices can serve as reminders for maintenance medicines.

This level of automation may be particularly useful for patients dealing with chronic conditions like diabetes, asthma, or hypertension. IoT-enabled remote patient monitoring can also be largely beneficial for home health patients, including those with chronic diseases or those who were recently discharged and need ongoing evaluation. They can also be used to monitor pregnant patients to detect any changes in maternal or fetal health.

The future of IoT in telehealth

There is reason to be optimistic about the future of IoT in telehealth, as it continues to face improvements to raise the efficiency of the healthcare system. A study from Griffith University found that the IoT in healthcare needs to face challenges such as the barriers to market adoption, confidence in terms of data security and privacy, interoperability, and control and ownership. To address these, the healthcare industry will have to rely on transforming healthcare policies to provide support, careful strategic planning, and transparency within healthcare organizations. But considering the overwhelming benefits of IoT in healthcare, the occurrence of these transformations is only a matter of time.

Even now, further technological innovations in the IoT — such as the incorporation of artificial intelligence or robotics — can yield unprecedented possibilities for telehealth and medicine. While the IoT remains relatively new, it only serves as a pathway for furthering efficiency in healthcare.

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Berg Insight has found in its latest research that around 8.6 million people in Europe were using connected care solutions at the end of 2021.

The figure refers to users of traditional telecare, next-generation telecare and telehealth solutions in the EU27+3 countries.

Until 2027, Berg Insight forecasts that the number of connected care users will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.1 percent to reach 17.1 million. Traditional telecare is currently the largest and most mature of the three market segments, but the next-generation telecare and telehealth market segments are expected to have a higher growth rate in the next years. Berg Insight expects that next-generation telecare will overtake traditional telecare solutions and become the largest segment with a forecasted 7.7 million users in 2027. Traditional telecare will follow with 7.5 million users and the telehealth segment will have an estimated 5.7 million users at the end of the forecast period.

The traditional telecare equipment market in Europe is highly consolidated. The two major players – Tunstall and Legrand – hold leading positions in nearly all markets even though they are challenged by local players such as Careium, TeleAlarm and Chubb. The next-generation telecare market is on the other hand more fragmented. In addition to the leading telecare equipment vendors, companies active in the next-generation market include specialised providers such as Essence Group, Everon, Vitalbase and Vivago in activity monitoring; Navigil, Libify, Oysta Technology, SmartLife Care and Smartwatcher in mobile telecare; and Evondos, Vitavanti, AceAge and iZafe Group in medication compliance monitoring. The telehealth market is similarly a fragmented market that is evolving quickly and includes both start-ups and well-established solution providers such as Huma, Luscii, Dignio, Comarch, eDevice and SHL Telemedicine.

The European connected care industry is facing major changes that will reshape the competitive environment for solution vendors and service providers during the coming years. One of the main developments is the ongoing digitalisation of telephone networks around Europe. Large-scale replacements of telecare equipment will be needed as analogue devices do not function reliably on digitalised networks. At the same time, the digitalisation enables new types of solutions that can advance the delivery of care to the next level. This includes next-generation telecare systems with new functions as well as integrated solutions that enable a combined delivery of telecare and telehealth services.

“Care providers will start to offer more and more proactive and predictive services, by continuously analysing user data and acting on abnormalities. Such solutions rely on data not only from telecare devices, but also from other sources such as smart home sensors, healthcare records and connected medical devices”, said Samuel Andersson, IoT Analyst at Berg Insight. Another trend worth noting is the effect that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the adoption of telehealth and remote patient monitoring solutions.

Mr. Andersson concluded:

“As lockdowns and quarantines were imposed all around the world, healthcare providers were motivated to adopt remote patient monitoring and telehealth solutions. This helped overcome some of the institutional hesitancy and conservatism that previously were major barriers for the adoption these solutions.”

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With unprecedented demands on emergency services due to COVID-19 pandemic, the need for delivering high quality healthcare is now more critical than ever. In emergency conditions, each and every second is crucial in saving a human’s life. The success of emergency treatment is greatly influenced by the time, availability and accuracy of contextual information given during emergency call and ambulance transportation. Thereof, the provision of proper and timely treatment at the first scene, and collection of accurate patient vital signs are required to improve the possibility of successful emergency rescue.

What are the issues facing in emergency service delivery?

Ineffective communication is the most common weak link tied to ineffective emergency operations. This will include information passed between patients (or their relatives), ambulances and medical institutions. In reality, information or data given during an emergency call is usually inaccurate or insufficient. And the process of information collection, storage, processing and retrieval, which is conducted during an ambulance transportation, is remaining manual and time consuming. This will lead to a common situation where emergency experts lack patient’s health records and can only base the medical treatment on a series of information collected during transportation or from patient (or his relatives).

Another issue raises in delayed treatment. Nowadays, thousands of lives are being expired before the patient reaches the hospital in ambulances. In rural districts where patients locate distant from hospital, time consuming on long distances driving can be a fatal cause of death; while in crowded urban areas, unpredictable traffic conditions expose a high risk of delay in effective rescue measures.

5G-connected IoT ambulances empower medical emergency system

With the development of the Internet of Things (IoT) technology, many high-tech technologies are gradually introduced into the medical emergency system. Connected ambulances empowered by 5G’s high band width, low latency, and ultra-reliable connectivity presents tremendous benefits in improving rescue efficiency.

Modern ambulances are equipped with advanced diagnosis and treatment equipment like heart rate sensors, blood pressure testers, ultra-sound scanners, ECG monitors and automatic ventilators. In a connected scenario, connected equipment can monitor a patient’s vitals and symptoms while transmitting in real-time to central hospital database, providing timely and accurate electronic data and report to doctors; and the hospital can also pull up patient’s health records and share with paramedics on ambulances.

5G technology also enable 360 degree 4K/8K video streaming on the ambulances. Emergency experts can obtain a real-time interactive view by using VR headset and gain a better understanding of type and condition of emergency involved in advance. In this way, it avoids the circumstances where wrong treatments are conducted upon inaccurate or insufficient information input.

Video calling between the ambulance and hospital can turn the ambulance into a temporary consultation room. Emergency experts can monitor patient’s condition remotely, diagnose symptoms and prescribe urgent treatment which paramedics can perform on ambulance. On one hand, it saves time by allowing the hospital to do necessary medical preparation before patient reaches; on the other hand, timely implementation of treatment methods will effectively increase the chances of successful rescue.

Smart ambulances are featured with GPS that provides precise positioning that helps emergency center to assign the nearest ambulance for mission, and smart navigation that is able to plan shortest optimal route with least traffic. Furthermore, ambulances can also be connected into city’s traffic management system. Along their way to the hospital, traffic signals will be operated by using 5G message through cloud, and turn green when ambulances approach. IoT-based traffic control guarantees clearance of paths to hospital and saves time to the utmost extent.

In cases where access to city’s traffic control system is not supported, or traffic is inevitable, hospital can send out drones to transport necessary medication or equipment to the scene and assist paramedics for further treatment.

Fibocom’s 5G Modules Enable Modern Connected Ambulances

The revolutionary 5G technology creates an innovative new way to connect patient and remote medical experts in real time. It demonstrates new possibilities to modern medical system which 4G technology cannot. Fibocom’s 5G modules support reliable and seamless data, audio and video transmission on medical equipment, cameras, VR/AR headsets, and 5G CPE, making these IoT operations feasible. With super-high transmission rate and ultra-low latency, 5G-enabled equipment can reduce the possibility of misdiagnosis by synchronizing accurate real-time information to hospital. It also moves partial rescue measures forward by allowing emergency experts to instruct treatment from miles away. This would be meaningful, especially in severe and complex emergency cases, as it can shorten rescue time and help ambulance workers to best utilize, as called, “Golden Rescue Hours”.

Fibocom FG150 (W)/FM150 (W) 5G modules were launched in 2019 globally. Supporting 5G standalone network (SA) and non-standalone network (NSA) network architectures. It supports the 5G Sub 6 and mmwave bands, and it is also compatible with LTE and WCDMA standards. This eliminates customers’ concern on investment in the initial stages of 5G construction as it helps customers quickly implement 5G applications in different network conditions.

Fibocom’s 5G modules have already been applied in various scenarios like 4K/8K HD live streaming, cloud office, Industrial 4.0, C-V2X, smart grid, smart security and other innovative applications, such as 5G mobile network PC, 5G HD video communication terminals, 5G electric power terminals, 5G connected devices and systems (wireless gateways, routers, CPE, SD-WAN), 5G smart dressing mirrors, 5G drones, 5G robots, 5G AR/VR, 5G cloud gaming terminals, 5G HD digital signage, and more.

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• The agreement will allow the implementation of telehealth monitoring solutions, which will increase the provision of healthcare for chronic patients in their homes.

• 31% of people in Spain suffer long term conditions and 80% of visits to initial primary care correspond to chronic patients.

Telefónica Empresas and Tunstall Healthcare, an international UK based provider of digital health and connected care solutions and services, with 2.5 million users in 51 countries, have reached an agreement to work together for the provision of solutions and services for remote patient management.

This alliance will help to develop this market and will strengthen Tunstall capabilities for preventive care at home for people with chronic conditions.

Abel Delgado, CEO of Tunstall Healthcare in Southern Europe, has pointed out:

“Our solutions for telehealth monitoring combined wit the experience of Telefónica and its commitment to e-health, allow us to deliver a top-notch solution with a clear vision of future for the health sector to face the current demographic, technological and economic challenges.”

“This kind of alliances are the key for the modernisation of the Health Systems of the future. It will allow the digital transformation of our customers and the development of new business models, closer to a service strategy rather than the current one that is more focussed on product. At Tunstall we have found a strategic partner that brings experience and vision in both the technological and health fields”, said Marisa Urquía, director of B2B Unit at Telefónica España.

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According to a new research report from the IoT analyst firm Berg Insight, around 7.8 million people in Europe were using connected care solutions at the end of 2018.

The figure refers to users of traditional telecare, next-generation telecare and telehealth solutions in the EU28+2 countries.

Until 2024, Berg Insight forecasts that the number of connected care users will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.1 percent to reach 17.3 million.

Traditional telecare is currently the largest and most mature of the three market segments, but the next-generation telecare and telehealth market segments are expected to have a higher growth rate in the next years.

Berg Insight expects that traditional telecare will be overtaken by next-generation telecare as the largest segment with a forecasted 8.3 million users in 2024. However, traditional telecare will follow with 6.2 million users and telehealth with 5.6 million users at the end of the forecast period.

The traditional telecare equipment market in Europe is highly consolidated. The two major players – Tunstall and Legrand – hold leading positions in nearly all markets even though they are challenged by local players such as Doro and TeleAlarm. The next-generation telecare market is on the other hand more fragmented. In addition to the leading telecare equipment vendors, companies active in the next-generation market include specialised providers such as Essence Group, Just Checking, Vitalbase and Vivago in activity monitoring; Everon, Libify, Oysta Technology, SmartLife Care and Smartwatcher in mobile telecare; and Evondos, Innospense and MediRätt in medication compliance monitoring.

The telehealth market is similarly a fragmented market that is evolving quickly and includes both start-ups and well-established solution providers such as BodyTel, Capsule Technologies, Comarch, eDevice, Luscii, OpenTeleHealth and SHL Telemedicine.

The European connected care industry is facing major changes that will reshape the competitive environment for solution vendors and service providers during the coming years. One of the main developments is the ongoing digitalisation of telephone networks around Europe. Large-scale replacements of telecare equipment will be needed as analogue devices do not function reliably on digitalised networks. At the same time, the market has seen new types of solutions that can advance the delivery of care to the next level. This includes next-generation telecare systems with new functions and more attractive design, as well as integrated solutions that enable a combined delivery of telecare and telehealth services. While the solutions are improving year-by-year, the adoption of next-generation telecare and telehealth solutions is still modest.

Sebastian Hellström, IoT Analyst at Berg Insight, said:

“Connected care actors want to innovate and provide better solutions for people, but they are held back by the slow adoption in public care systems in Europe.”

He adds that positive signs can be seen in countries such as Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom where insurers, legislators and national health systems have taken steps to implement next-generation telecare and telehealth solutions at a larger scale.

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Collaboration with large health insurer affordably improves independent living.

Qorvo® is helping seniors live more independently in their homes with the help of a new eHealth system powered by the company’s chipsets for the Internet of Things (IoT).

Health insurer CZ will provide the system to 3,000 elderly customers in the Netherlands, marking the first deployment of a senior smart home solution by a large health insurance company.

eHealth technologies with whole-home sensor systems present an opportunity for health insurers and consumers to reduce healthcare costs and enhance quality of life. According to Grand View Research, the global eHealth market is expected to reach $308 billion by 2022, and the transition of the healthcare industry into a digital healthcare system for management and analysis of patient health is expected to be the most vital driver of the market.¹

The system that CZ will deploy consists of a non-intrusive set of motion and open/close sensors, and a gateway. It combines proven cloud algorithm expertise from Sensara with industry-leading Zigbee® Green Power RF solutions from Qorvo. Zigbee Green Power is optimized for ultra-long coin-cell battery life sensors (10-year replacement) and provides secure, long-range and highly reliable wireless data transmission. These features are essential to the evolution of the smart home.

Menno Janssen, strategic program manager of CZ, said:

“We believe that seniors using reliable eHealth systems will gain a wide range of benefits, enhancing their quality of life and enabling their families or caregivers to have peace of mind that they are safe and healthy.”

Cees Links, general manager of Qorvo’s Wireless Connectivity business unit, said:
“The innovation that Qorvo delivers in its Zigbee Green Power RF solutions, combined with behavior analysis algorithms, helps elderly people live longer and more independently at home. We’re excited about our partnership with CZ, a large health insurance company, and commend them for being a frontrunner in deploying eHealth solutions to improve lives. The IoT lifestyle market is quickly growing, and Qorvo is proud to play a more significant part.”

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According to a new research report from the IoT analyst firm Berg Insight, the upcoming implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018 will cause challenges for companies in the telecare industry.

Telecare and telehealth apps and devices are potentially generating huge amounts of data that could be used for various purposes. Today, data is increasingly more used to help patients without the need of the patient’s own active involvement. This includes various kinds of health data as well as user location and movement data which could be used to identify abnormalities. If a user does things differently, for example not leaving or going to the bed as usual, a notification can be sent to relatives or care givers.

Legislative authorities in the EU are developing and designing legal frameworks that should be in line with the new data driven world of mobile health. As part of this, the European Commission will in 2018 implement a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that aims to harmonise data protection rules in the EU, ensuring legal certainty for businesses and increasing trust on eHealth services with a consistent high level of protection of individuals. The GDPR aims primarily to give control back to citizens and residents over their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international businesses by unifying the regulation within the EU. When the GDPR takes effect, it will replace the data protection directive and it becomes enforceable from May 25 next year after a two-year transition period. It does not require national governments to pass any enabling legislation and will be directly binding and applicable.

Anders Frick, Senior Analyst, Berg Insight says:
“While the future is data driven, end-users do care more and more about integrity aspects. The GDPR aims to increase privacy for the end-user which is a step in the right direction. The regulation by default actually prohibits processing of health data unless explicit consent has been given. At the same time, this will cause challenges for those telecare and telehealth solution providers that are not proactively working on their preparations.”

“If the solution providers are not enough prepared for handling, processing and storing sensitive data in accordance to GDPR, they could risk heavy fines if not fulfilling the requirements.”

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According to a new research report from the IoT analyst firm Berg Insight, around 5.9 million people in Europe were using connected care solutions at the end of 2016.

The figure refers to users of traditional telecare, next-generation telecare and telehealth solutions in the EU28+2 countries.

Until 2022, Berg Insight forecasts that the number of connected care users will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.7 percent to reach 16.5 million.

Traditional telecare is currently the largest and most mature of the three market segments, but the next-generation telecare and telehealth market segments are expected to have a higher growth rate while traditional telecare is being phased out. Berg Insight expects that traditional telecare will be overtaken by next-generation telecare as the largest segment of the connected care market with a forecasted 8.1 million users in 2022. However, traditional telecare will follow with 6.2 million us ers and telehealth with 4.0 million users at the end of the forecast period.

The European connected care industry is facing major changes that will reshape the competitive environment for solution vendors and service providers during the coming years. One of the main developments is the digitalization of telephone networks that already has started in several countries. Massive replacements of telecare equipment will be needed due to that analogue devices no longer function reliably when the PSTN infrastructure is modernized. At the same time, the market is opening up to new types of solutions that can advance the delivery of care to the next level. This includes next-generation telecare systems that support functionalities such as remote visits and video communication.

Anders Frick, Senior Analyst, Berg Insight, said:

“There is a strong need for solutions that enable social care and healthcare services to be delivered more cost-efficiently without compromising the quality of care”.

He adds that this need will only grow stronger in the future as the European population structure ages and the prevalence of chronic diseases increases.

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PodM2M (a division of Pod Group), a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) specializing in global data connectivity solutions for the M2M/IoT market, has today announced an agreement with ForaCare Inc. a company dedicated to developing products for chronic disease management by combining innovative technologies and clinical applications.

PodM2M will provide a highly resilient connectivity solution for ForaCare´s Telehealth platform and range of connected healthcare monitoring devices designed for both the patient and the practitioner. These devices include the Test’N Go Glucose Monitoring Meter, allowing patients to see trends in their blood glucose levels and plan their treatment and the VSM100 Vital Signs Monitor, which remotely monitors key patient indicators such as blood pressure, temperature and oxygen levels and reports back to the physician. Devices are connected via the Fora 24/7 HealthView Platform, a secure, web-access management system giving physicians real-time access to patient data.

The need to quickly and securely share data between patients, physicians and hospitals means a highly resilient and secure network connection is required between the devices and the platform. ForaCare also requires a fully scalable solution to enable the company to expand into new growth markets. PodM2M´s resilient network connectivity with intelligent switching, combined with access to over 600 networks worldwide made it an obvious choice to provide the connectivity of the solution.

Adrian Alexander, Sales Account Manager at ForaCare commented:
“Pod offered a cost-effective solution and always gave us a quick response to our questions. We also like the fact that Pod can operate globally as we’re in the process of expanding into other markets outside the US. Thanks to our confidence in the service that Pod provides we will continue to plan our growth and recommend the service.”

PodM2M´s specialist focus on remote and mission critical applications is based on its “No Single Point of Failure” network topology, whereby multiple core networks (IMSIs) are included on the same SIM card and can be automatically switched to provide back-up networks using Pod´s Multi-IMSI app on the SIM. Pod´s extensive experience in this area has led it to develop a special “Pod Profile” which can be used as a bootstrap IMSI on eUICC SIM cards, providing an extra layer of resilience.

Sam Colley, CEO of Pod Group USA commented:
“Our expertise in providing connectivity for mission critical applications makes our solution a perfect fit for healthcare IoT applications such as ForaCare´s TeleHealth System. We are constantly researching new and innovative ways to increase the resilience and security of IoT connectivity which is vital for the growth and uptake of IoT solutions.”

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The proliferation of cloud-based technologies along with the fact that data-tracking sensors are becoming smaller and more affordable have paved the way for industries to take advantage of the benefits of the Internet of Things. There is a growing trend of health organizations incorporating networks of connected devices in order to lower medical costs and increase efficiency of care. The ability to more accurately monitor patients who receive remote medical care also offers disabled individuals greater opportunities for independence outside of care facilities.

Home Applications

Home automation technologies use a variety of connected cameras and sensors to track and relay information to a user’s smartphone or other interface. According to one report, the global market for connected home devices was valued at USD 58.4 billion in 2014 and is expected to rise to nearly USD 410 billion by 2022. This includes technologies that will give people the ability to lock and unlock their doors and activate or deactivate alarm systems. They can also adjust the lighting for particular moods and better energy efficiency, turn appliances on or off, order groceries and supplies, and regulate temperatures throughout the home. All of these features can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.

While being able to dim your lights, lock your doors, and adjust the thermostat using voice commands or a simple interface on your smartphone may seem like convenient novelties to some, for disabled individuals these can be essential to maintaining a safe, healthy, enjoyable home life. For example, a quadriplegic who cannot physically open their front door could speak into their smartphone and the door would automatically open. They could also create a variety of profiles that change the lighting and turn on specific devices once they’ve entered the house, making possible what otherwise would have required a caregiver’s constant assistance.

As another example, a person with little to no vision could use appliances throughout their home with greater ease, and a deaf person could receive security alerts about disturbances they might not have noticed on their own. And while these are helpful for people who are disabled, there is no need to be completely cut off from outside assistance as these devices can also be used to alert caregivers and family members of any issues that may need their attention.

Healthcare Applications

Traditional doctor-patient relationships can be sporadic, often addressing health concerns only after something has gone wrong. And because medical professionals rarely get real insights into a patient’s daily habits, it can be difficult to provide the most appropriate solutions to a medical concern. However, IoT-enabled devices in the healthcare industry have the potential to create more detailed relationships between patients and caregivers and ensure proper, prompt treatment.

Nurses can help enact new IoT processes in care facilities as well as in patients’ homes by identifying each patient’s needs, matching their conditions with the appropriate technologies, and educating patients on how to use these IoT-enabled devices. As this trend continues to grow, it will allow many people to live more independently, while offering real-time updates to professionals responsible for monitoring patients.

Examples of IoT technologies in the healthcare industry include glucose monitors that track blood sugar levels continuously, remote vital signs sensors, radio-frequency identification tags that allow medical professionals to track patients and medical equipment, and smart pillboxes that monitor patient adherence to treatment schedules and create reminders for patients who may forget to take their medication.

Telehealth options, such as phone calls, text messages, and video conferencing allow medical professionals to use this information to offer their patients feedback and recommendations. This enables medical professionals to catch problems early on, placing a greater focus on preventive care rather than the reactive care someone might receive if they come to a hospital after experiencing a complication with their condition. This can lower medical costs by reducing the need for emergency care as well as reducing the frequency and length of hospital visits.

Over time, the data collected from these devices can be used to track patterns, inform decision making, and enable medical professionals to create more efficient processes and treatment strategies for patients.

Security

Of course, the sensitive materials contained within a care facility’s medical records will require a greater level of security from hackers and other IT breaches. If not properly protected, hackers could gain access to personal information that could be used for extortion. Ransomware attacks have already affected some hospitals, which demonstrates the potential for hackers to encrypt data related to appointments or medical records. Along with this danger, a data wiper like NotPetya could simply erase a network of medical information, leading to major disruptions in treatment schedules and possibly causing serious harm to patients.

Potential security risks for smart home connections include a hacker’s ability to determine whether anyone is home, unlock a person’s front door, disable their security system, or control appliances, including camera-enabled devices which could be used to spy on people in their homes. Because these technologies are relatively new, built-in security features aren’t always a priority. It doesn’t help that some users don’t update their passwords to these devices as often as they should, making it easier for hackers to take advantage of the technology.

It’s likely we’ll see IoT-enabled devices continue to expand into different areas of our lives, improving healthcare and accessibility to our homes. Soon, every device in our homes and businesses might be connected in order to predict our behavior and streamline our daily tasks. For now, as these technologies continue to gain momentum and we attempt to solve security issues, it is important to note the practical uses for healthcare professionals and the freedom these tools offer disabled individuals.

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Wisepill Technologies, a leading provider of medication adherence management solutions, and Aeris, a pioneer and leader in the Internet of Things (IoT), today announced they are collaborating to help pharmaceutical businesses and healthcare organizations around the world improve medication management for their patients through IoT-enabled smart pillboxes.

Wisepill Technologies is the creator of the Wisepill dispenser, a pillbox with a global systems for mobile communications (GSM) chip that uses a mobile phone and IoT technologies enabled by Aeris to provide real-time medication management solutions. Aeris IoT Connectivity services offers many features to provide Wisepill with the opportunity to enhance service delivery and increase service radius.

Wisepill was founded in 2007 by Lloyd and Ricci Marshall to tackle the challenging problem of medication non-adherence in both developed and developing countries. The Wisepill dispenser was designed so that it would be easy to use. A number of independent user surveys have shown that people benefit from using the dispenser and appreciate the support they receive via the service and reminders.

The Wisepill electronic pillbox monitors patient adherence and provides instant feedback via cellular and IoT technologies. Unlike many reminder systems on the market that nag users to take their medicine, the Wisepill system was created to remind users only when they forget.

Wisepill has been used by patients with tuberculosis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), epilepsy, osteoporosis, chronic heart conditions, diabetes, leukemia, asthma, attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), and hepatitis C in more than 20 countries. The Family Health International chose Wisepill for its Truvada clinical trials. This was the first time that anti-retro viral drugs were used as a pre-exposure prophylaxis treatment for high-risk HIV patients.

The Wisepill system also has been used by research organizations and universities to monitor adherence for research purposes. Wisepill has worked with Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Initiative for Global Health to adapt the technology to work well in a rural environment where cellular networks are not always reliable.

Ricci Marshall, Owner and Director, Wisepill Technologies:

“Wisepill Technologies is excited to provide a truly global data solution to our clients enabled by Aeris and its IoT Connectivity services. This partnership with Aeris means that Wisepill can provide an awesome customer experience in every corner of the globe.”

Raj Kanaya, Chief Marketing Officer and Managing Director of Automotive, Aeris, and CEO, Aeris Japan:
“Aeris is an Internet of Things industry leader and through our work with Wisepill Technologies we are helping enable their clients, pharmaceutical businesses and healthcare organizations around the world to use IoT technologies and improve their adherence to medication management. The combination of Aeris and Wisepill also gives patients the peace of mind knowing they are able to properly take their medication.”

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Walgreens, the US largest drugstore chain, in partnership with MDLIVE, has recently announced an expansion of the Walgreens mobile app, which will enable offering MDLive’s telehealth services to users in 25 states in US, this includes launching of an updated mhealth experience integrated with the app, providing high end services.

The above expansion will enable patients in those states to have access to telehealth services via Walgreens mobile app. Also, one no longer needs to install and launch the MDLIVE app separately in order to take the advantage of the session.

Furthermore, the company announced the launch of the Walgreens Connect app. This enables Walgreens Balance Rewards members to own a Well at Walgreens connected premium brands for blood glucose monitoring for taking measurements on a daily basis. The app offers definitive guide to the users to select the device to pair, connect to the device, sync data and earn Balance Rewards points in just three steps. The data is transmitted to the cloud via the 2net Platform and 2net Mobile solutions from Qualcomm Life.

According to Adam Pellegrini, Walgreens, VP, digital health division:

“We have seen that telehealth solutions play an important role in helping to improve patient outcomes, and we will continue to work to evolve our offerings to ensure our patients can choose what’s most convenient for them whether that’s live doctor consultations, digitally chatting with a pharmacist or visiting a Healthcare Clinic.”

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The number of remotely monitored patients grew by 51 percent to 4.9 million in 2015 as the market entered a growth phase fuelled by rising market acceptance in several key verticals.

This number includes all patients enrolled in mHealth care programs in which connected medical devices are used as a part of the care regimen. Connected medical devices used for various forms of personal health tracking are not included in this figure. Berg Insight estimates that the number of remotely monitored patients will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 48.9 percent to reach 36.1 million by 2020.

The two main applications are monitoring of patients with implantable cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices and monitoring of patients with sleep therapy devices. These two verticals accounted for 81 percent of all connected home medical monitoring systems in 2015. Telehealth is the third largest segment with 0.41 million connections at the end of the year. All other device categories – including ECG, glucose level, medication adherence and others – stood for less than 0.2 million connections each at the end of the year.

The sleep therapy segment accounted for the majority of the market growth in 2015. ResMed was especially successful with its new Air Solutions family of sleep therapy devices that includes a cellular M2M module as standard and is supported by a comprehensive range of health informatics software that enable healthcare organizations to provide better care more efficiently. ResMed surpassed Medtronic as the world’s largest provider of connected healthcare solutions for remote patient monitoring in 2015. Earlier in 2015, Medtronic became the first company in the world to surpass the milestone of 1.0 million remotely monitored patients.

Another landmark event in 2015 was that cellular connectivity surpassed PSTN and LAN as the most widely used connectivity technology for remote patient monitoring. The number of PSTN-connected devices has started to decline sharply as a result of the decline in PSTN subscriber bases and the forthcoming digitalization of PSTN networks, whereas the use of LAN and Wi-Fi connectivity for remote patient monitoring has remained very limited to date.

Lars Kurkinen, Senior Analyst, Berg Insight, says:

“Cellular continues to be the only technology that can be used to reliably connect every patient with their healthcare providers.”

An emerging alternative is that patients use their own mobile devices as health hubs. The bring your own device (BYOD) model can in theory be very cost-efficient as no dedicated hardware or subscriptions are needed, but accounted for less than two percent of all connections in 2015. Mr. Kurkinen predicts that BYOD will be especially useful for patient-c entric engagement programs in therapeutic areas such as diabetes and asthma that have younger patient demographics compared to many other chronic diseases. In fact, many of these patients will prefer to use their own smartphone as the interface instead of carrying around a dedicated device for remote monitoring.

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In its report, Technavio covers the present scenario and growth prospects of the connected health M2M market in the US for 2015-2019.

Highlights:

• Patient security and healthcare resources tracking, such as asset tracking, are the major focus areas for hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare service providers in the US
• Almost 50% of the adult population in the US is suffering from one or more chronic and mental disorders
• The number of people above 60 years is also increasing in the country, which may increase the need for connected health M2M for remote patient monitoring
• Investment from different stakeholder in connected health is increasing rapidly in the US
• The adoption of wearable healthcare devices such as smart bands and smart watches is high among consumers, which is expected to drive the connected health M2M market in the US

Key market highlights:

Connected health M2M refers to a remote healthcare service delivery model that functions in an IT ecosystem. It enables accessing, sharing, and analysis of healthcare data. It assists in clinical data management, and communication and collaboration among the stakeholders of the healthcare service sector. Some of the major functional areas of connected health M2M services are home monitoring, clinical monitoring, telemedicine, first responder connectivity, connected medical environment, clinical remote monitoring, assisted living and clinical trials, and healthcare asset management.

Source: Technavio 2015
Click to enlarge

The connected health M2M market in the US is expected to grow significantly during 2015-2019, at a CAGR of 28.72%.

Life expectancy and adult mortality rate among consumers is very high in the US. The prevalence of chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, arthritis, cancer, obesity, heart diseases, asthma, and COPD, has also increased in recent years, especially among the aging population (60 and above) in the country. This has in turn increased the need for healthcare treatment for specific conditions. Hospitals in the US are increasingly adopting connected devices for asset tracking. Large number of hospitals are implementing RTLS solutions to locate hospital equipment such as ventilators, oxygen cylinders, hospital beds, and infusion pumps. Fitness trackers are also becoming popular in the region. That along with the government regulations on healthcare, such as the Affordable Care Act, are driving market growth in the US.

An increase in the use of mHealth applications and wearable devices integrated with EHR will drive the connected health M2M market during the forecast period. Earlier, it was difficult to integrate wearable devices with electronic medical software systems. Also, it was challenging for doctors and caregivers to avail information real-time about the health status of their patients. With technological advances, these limitation have been overcome to some extent. Data gathered in wearable devices can now be directly recorded inside EHR through a direct HIPAA-compliant protocol. High usage of smartphones and mobile devices in the country is also boosting the demand for mHealth applications. Application of analytics in the healthcare industry in the US will also contributes to market growth during the forecast period.

However, privacy and security issues pose a threat to the connected health M2M market in the US. The connected health ecosystem works on mobile technologies, wherein chances of data leakage is high.

Data leakage may lead to misuse of health-related information of a patient. In addition, medical device manufacturers have to go through rigorous government processes for getting licenses for wearable devices that are used in medical applications. Such challenges related to healthcare policies and regulatory mandates of the US government may hamper growth of the connected health M2M market in the country.

Global connected health M2M connections

The penetration of M2M connections in healthcare is increasing worldwide. The global connected health M2M connections is growing at a CAGR of 46.88%. The US is the largest market in terms of number of M2M connections.

Global connected health M2M connections 2014-2019 (million units)

Market size and forecast
The connected health M2M market in the US was valued at $1.02 billion in 2014, which is expected to reach $3.6 billion by 2019, growing at a CAGR of 28.72%.

Connected health M2M market 2014-2019 ($ billions)

The connected health ecosystem in the US is driven by the increasing penetration of smartphones as well as broadband connections in the country. We expect the market to grow at a rate of 25%-35% during the forecast period.

The increase in the life expectancy and high mortality rate of people in the US increases their dependency on families and caregivers. People aging 60 and above suffer from chronic diseases such as high cholesterol, diabetes, and obesity. As a result, they are unable to visit clinics and hospitals frequently due to their old age. Thus, connected health M2M is a practical solution as it provides remote monitoring facilities. With the help of connected health M2M, doctors can monitor the health of patients from a remote location and prescribe medicines at a low cost.

Regulatory guidelines from the US FDA on various issues, such as mHealth apps, and the standards governing them are expected to come into effect in the near future. Increasing deployment of Wi-Fi and WLAN in hospitals and adoption of EHRs and corresponding apps by doctors for accessing patient records real-time improve the quality of healthcare treatment. These also increase the participation of patients. In addition, integration of wearable devices with EHR helps doctors make fast clinical decisions on treatments for their patients. All the above factors put together will continue to propel the demand for connected health M2M services in the US in the coming years, even beyond the forecast period.

The post M2M market: Connected Health in the US 2015-2019 appeared first on IoT Business News.

IoT platform connects all stakeholders in the new consumer-centric health care ecosystem to promote better lifestyle changes.

ThingWorx, a PTC® business and leading Internet of Things (IoT) platform provider, announced today that ICURO, a consumer-centric care outcomes research and digital health management organization, has selected the ThingWorx® IoT Platform to power its intelligent care models by delivering personalized, actionable health information to consumers in order to promote sustainable healthy habits.

According to a McKinsey & Company report “The big data revolution in healthcare: Accelerating value and innovation,” the era of open information in healthcare has begun. This means that industry payors and providers are beginning to analyze data in order to obtain insights that could identify patterns which could improve treatments and deliver personalized health care information for better lifestyle choices.

ICURO is using the ThingWorx IoT Platform to launch its digital hub for consumer-centric care. It enables ICURO to connect all stakeholders in the new consumer-centric ecosystem consisting of providers, payors, employers, pharmaceuticals, and medical device companies with an integrated care delivery platform. The real time data collection and intelligent analysis of data allow consumers and providers to focus on health outcomes and enable personalized care management pathways.

“ICURO is a good example of how IoT technology can improve communication between health care organizations and consumers to enable better health management and more effective treatments,” said Russ Fadel, president, ThingWorx. “The ThingWorx platform will enable ICURO to simplify and speed its development, reducing the time it takes ICURO to deploy secured healthcare solutions to market.”

Using ThingWorx, ICURO is able to offer consumer and provider-centric dashboards that deliver personalized data that is more meaningful and actionable to the consumer.

“ICURO’s mission is to improve health care access at much lower costs while providing the quality of care and convenience that consumers have come to expect in every other aspect of their digital lives,” said Bipin Thomas, president, ICURO.

“Using the ThingWorx platform we are able to securely and efficiently collect and interpret data from multiple medical devices such as blood pressure monitors, glucometers and cardiac measurement devices that can offer real time care interventions and personalized healthcare management.”

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GC864-QUAD V2 to Provide Reliable Cellular Data Connectivity for Innovative Medication Compliance Device & Service.

Telit Wireless Solutions, a global provider of high-quality machine-to-machine (M2M) solutions, products and services and Vaica, Israel-based provider of cloud-based medication compliance and telehealth solutions for chronic patients, today announced that Vaica’s flagship product, SimpleMed+ is to employ Telit’s GC864-QUAD V2 for mobile connectivity.

The product and the company’s cloud-based service portal aim to provide effective, easy-to-deploy-and-use solutions to curb healthcare spending treating chronic conditions believed to represent 90% of all healthcare costs.

Targeted at hospitals, health management and delivery organizations (HMOs, ACOs), –seniors living facilities, and other care organizations, SimpleMed+ addresses a real need these organizations have of lowering the high hospital readmission rates and healthcare costs attributed to medication non-compliance. The product will start selling initially in the United States, Canada, Brazil, New Zealand and Australia.

With government statistics showing that compliance with prescriptions by chronically-ill patients declines to 50% after six months; and to 33% in five years, the pharmaceutical industry is also looking for solutions like SimpleMed+. And since the average chronic patient takes over five medications daily, -pharmacy chains in the U.S., Canada and the UK are now designing customer programs to monitor and improve patients’ medication adherence, with the help of the device and its associated service, which have shown in clinical trials to improve medication compliance to 95% over extended periods of time.

The Quad-band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS GC864-QUAD V2 is designed for applications like SimpleMed+ needing a compact package and a board-to-board connector. The module also allows a SIM holder to be mounted on the back of the module and is used in the Vaica product. This option reduces footprint and integration costs. The xC864 Unified Form Factor family includes GSM/GPRS, UMTS/HSDPA and CDMA 1xRTT air interfaces in cellular modules featuring a common 30×36.2 mm footprint with the same 80-pin board-to-board connector. This allows developers and integrators to easily drop in different xC864 family modules supporting any of these major cellular technologies with little design and integration time and effort.

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Remote gateways and Device Cloud enable secure visibility to patient health warning signs.

Digi International (NASDAQ: DGII) today announced that Almerys, a subsidiary of Orange Business Services, uses the ConnectPort® X3, Digi TransPort® WR41 and Device Cloud by Etherios to add wireless functionality to its cardiology telehealth pilot project in the Auvergne region of France.

Dr. Jean Cassagnes M.D., cardiologist and medical director at Cardiauvergne, said:

“The early warning and resulting swift responses associated in monitoring weight loss in patients have helped us avert 600 health crises, and in some critical cases, helped us save lives.”

For patients suffering from heart disease, changes in body weight are a crucial indicator of their health and response to treatment. While remote monitoring for patient weight warning signs to avert emergency hospitalization is a simple solution, it improves patient outcomes and has massive cost-saving implications for health care systems worldwide.

Since the Cardiauvergne project began in September 2011, 315 patients have been monitored and Cardiauvergne has responded to 600 alarms. Patient information is sent to a Central Coordination Unit, which liaises with pharmacies, emergency services, and to the patient’s designated mobile nurse who can access data via a smartphone. Response actions facilitated by the project have ranged from calling the patient, sending in a nurse or doctor, or in critical cases, arranging emergency hospitalization.

The core solution uses a weighing scale connected to a ConnectPort X3 wireless gateway to record and transmit patient data to the Central Coordination Unit. Many of the pilot’s patients reside in rural areas with limited Internet infrastructure and no 3G or RTT network, in which case the Digi TransPort WR41 router is also used to transfer the weight data via the fixed line network. The gateway and router form a communication link via cellular networks that allows the solution to operate “out-of-the-box” wherever it is placed. Because the communication protocol used does not depend on an Internet connection, the solution can easily be scaled.

Almerys uses Device Cloud to manage the gateways and routers as part of the project. Robert Boualit, project manager of Almerys Health Division explains:

“A cloud solution was ideal for our pilot project as there were no associated infrastructure costs and the platform is easily scalable as we expand to other regions. Using the cloud to manage our devices kept our development costs low.”

“By combining Almerys’ health care technology expertise and Digi’s M2M technology proficiency, we have created a solution that enables machines to transmit information in order to facilitate health care decision-making,” said Joel Young, senior vice president of research and development and CTO of Digi International.
“The project is a great example of how M2M technology can help hospitals collect, share and use patient data to reduce cost and improve quality of care.”

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Through innovation, eDevice has become the leading provider of connectivity solutions for medical device companies, now connecting one hundred thousand devices across the globe.

A few years ago, it was considered a risky bet for an M2M (Machine-to-Machine) telecommunication company to heavily invest in new technology for the emerging Telehealth market. But with the combination of an aging population, an increasing number of chronically-ill patients, and a global need for improving the efficiency of national health systems, eHealth increasingly became one of the most promising markets for technology companies. With 50% growth in its global revenue for 2012, eDevice does not regret the decision to take this route as they complete their 6th consecutive year of growth and profitability.

Starting in 2000 as an end-to-end M2M solutions provider, eDevice obtained its first RPM (Remote Patient Monitoring) client in 2002 and specialized in eHealth after 2008, creating a global connectivity solution for Telemedicine companies.

As a pioneer in medical device connectivity, eDevice is the chosen partner of some of the most admired companies, including worldwide leaders in RPM, pacemaker and defibrillator monitoring, remote glucose monitoring, and chronic disease management.

In its “mHealth & Home Monitoring” study of 2013, Berg Insight identifies eDevice as the only MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) specialized in the healthcare industry and further positions eDevice as a major player of the Remote Patient Monitoring platform market for the future.

Michael Freudmann, Vice-President Sales of eDevice, speaks about the specialization of his company:
“At eDevice, we believe in specialization. It makes no sense when a company offers connectivity solutions and services for truck tracking, utility metering, industrial M2M, alarm systems, and then also for pacemaker monitoring. Healthcare is a market by itself that requires a very specific know-how and skill set“.

eDevice attributes its success to its complete offer for medical device companies, which allows them to focus on their own product and service strategy. With modems and network gateways, wireless and fixed lines services, and remote device management services, eDevice solutions have now been adopted worldwide.

eDevice CEO Marc Berrebi, said:

“According to all the market surveys, the Medical Device Connectivity market is promised to generate phenomenal growth in the next decade. We see new entrants, but it will take years before they can handle the stringent requirements of mHealth.”

Throughout the next 5 years, eDevice anticipates 30%+ annual growth of its global revenue.

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Frost & Sullivan’s Top Five Technologies that will Impact Healthcare Delivery in Asia-Pacific in 2013.

The healthcare industry in Asia-Pacific is undergoing a transformation under the influence of an evolving consumer profile, dynamic disease patterns and increasing healthcare costs. “Efficient, affordable and timely delivery of quality healthcare services is a priority for governments across the region,” says Natasha Gulati, Connected Health Industry Analyst, Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific.

Frost & Sullivan has identified top five technologies that have the potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery in Asia-Pacific.

1. Cloud Computing and Cloud Services

Cloud computing not only addresses the challenge of rising healthcare costs by significantly reducing capital expenditure for healthcare providers, it also provides them with the flexibility and agility they require in the dynamic Asia-Pacific market. Almost 30% of healthcare providers across the region are currently using cloud computing and cloud services while a number admit that this is a key technology focus for their budget in the near future. Hospital CIOs admit pagers and mobile phones continue to be the most popular communication channel for physicians. Cloud services are helping healthcare organizations connect with their employees far more efficiently while at the same time also improving scheduling and other administrative tasks. Many healthcare providers in Australia are also using Cloud solutions to reach out to and educate a larger population through mobile and web-based services. However, a number of concerns and apprehensions loom around data security as well as the risk to business continuity when it comes to cloud in healthcare.

2. Big Data Analytics

The Asia-Pacific business analytics for healthcare providers was estimated at USD 315.9 million (AUD 304.3 million) in 2011, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.9% between 2011 and 2018. As governments and private players across Asia-Pacific rapidly move towards electronic health information exchange and remote and mobile patient monitoring devices, the volume of medical and health data will expand to the tune of terabytes. These large, complex data sets will comprise healthcare Big Data and will act as a valuable resource for a number of stakeholders across the healthcare ecosystem. To be able to derive actionable insights from these large data sets, healthcare organizations will leverage sophisticated analytics and intelligence tools that will help them manage, comprehend and exploit this data. Australia is already well-ahead of the curve as compared to other markets in the region, contributing almost 2% of the 2011 revenue. The Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) system currently gathers very basic information but as the system expands in depth and complexity, software vendors in Australia expect a significant boom in the clinical analytics market.

3. Advanced Visualization Tools

Healthcare is increasingly moving towards the era of prevention as a result of which early, safe and reliable diagnostics becomes imperative. Due to this megatrend the demand for advanced visualization tools such as 3-dimensional imaging and imaging analytics will rise rapidly. These tools and software help physicians make better informed decisions and thus, assist in improved diagnosis as well as treatment. Physicians across the region are not only demanding complex software but also investing in training to help them understand how best they can leverage such tools. Private players too are adding to this momentum by providing product training as well as university courses for physicians and radiologists to help them better manage sophisticated imaging techniques.

4. Machine-2-Machine Communication

Machine-2-Machine or M2M communication has already made significant strides in other industries. The idea is now being explored in healthcare by medical device manufacturers and mobility solutions providers who are investing in integrating advanced communication technologies, such as, blue-tooth, RFID (radio frequency identification), motion sensing and wireless, into patient monitoring devices. The vision is to encapsulate the healthcare consumer in a web of devices that constantly monitor physiological parameters, analyse the information and communicate it to the right people and devices in almost real-time. Several large telecommunication companies, including Telstra and Vodafone, are providing products and services in this space for the Australian market.

5. Social Media as a Means of Sharing Information

Social media is no longer looked upon as an advertising option amongst healthcare circles. Healthcare organizations have begun to realize both tangible and intangible benefits of a strong social media community. Healthcare providers are investing in online portals, live chats, panels, forums and communities as a means of sharing and disseminating information between physicians, consumers and government bodies. Moreover, with the volume of health information being exchanged online, physicians and researchers are now seeking ways to structure data picked up from social media sources and use this to improve healthcare delivery.

Gulati elaborates to say that while all of the above technologies may play very distinct roles in serving the healthcare community, at their very core, they are based on secure, reliable and timely exchange of medical and health information.

She states:

“The healthcare industry is becoming increasingly conscious of the importance of information and is aggressively working towards improving the quality of data as well as data management processes by not only investing in technology but also by developing regulations, standards and protocols to support vigorous information gathering and exchange.”

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According to a new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, around 2.8 million patients worldwide were using a home monitoring service based on equipment with integrated connectivity at the end of 2012.

The figure comprises all patients that were using dedicated devices for remote monitoring. Patients using their personal mobile phone, tablet or PC for remote monitoring are not included in this figure. Berg Insight forecasts that the number of home monitoring systems with integrated communication capabilities will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 26.9 percent between 2011 and 2017 to reach 9.4 million connections worldwide. The number of devices with integrated cellular connectivity increased from 0.73 million in 2011 to about 1.03 million in 2012, and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 46.3 percent to 7.1 million in 2017.

mHealth enables more efficient care delivery, decreased costs and improved sustainability of the healthcare system. The new care models enabled by these technologies are often consistent with patients’ preferences of living more healthy, active and independent lives.

“Widespread use of remote patient monitoring is still years away, but we are moving towards an age where mHealth solutions will become part of standard care pathways. Financial incentives are now coming into place and new mandates are formed that favourably affect the adoption of mHealth solutions. We believe 2013 will be a landmark year as the mHealth industry shifts into a strong growth phase that will last for many years to come”, says Lars Kurkinen, Telecom Analyst, Berg Insight.

Several new developments in the mHealth industry will ensure strong market growth in 2013 and beyond. In the US, the progressive increases of readmission penalties set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will drive hospitals to adopt telehealth solutions for monitoring post-discharge patients. In the UK, the positive results from the Whole System Demonstrator project led the National Health Service to issue a mandate for 100,000 additional patients to be monitored with telehealth solutions by March 2014. In France, a new mandate on compliance monitoring will ensure that all new sleep therapy patients will be remotely monitored from 2013 onwards. This new mandate is expected to result in more than 600,000 connected sleep therapy devices by 2016.

Mr. Kurkinen adds:

“Today cardiac rhytm management (CRM) is the most important segment of connected medical devices. However, we believe that connected sleep therapy devices will become the largest segment of connected medical devices by 2017, followed by the CRM and telehealth categories. Connectivity is at the same time gaining momentum in several other segments such as blood pressure monitoring, glucose monitoring, ECG monitoring and medication adherence”.

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From 2010 to 2011 usage of remote patient monitoring, or telehealth, increased by 22.2 percent as the number of patients enrolled worldwide reached 241,200.

However, telehealth device revenues only grew by 5.0 percent from 2010 to 2011; and 18.0 percent from 2011 to 2012. InMedica, a division of IMS Research (now part of IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS)) attributes slow revenue growth over the last year to poor economic conditions leading to restrictions in healthcare funding particularly in Europe, and ambiguity on the impact of healthcare reform and readmission penalties on telehealth in the U.S.

In the U.S., there remained considerable uncertainty on the future of the US healthcare market and the role of telehealth in this market throughout 2012. As the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began penalizing U.S. hospitals for readmissions in October 2012, many healthcare providers remained unclear on the potential impacts on their institutions and are yet to implement a post-acute care plan. A common sentiment among the providers recently interviewed by InMedica was that, if they are being paid fee-for-service, it will be difficult to justify telehealth. The more pre-paid dollars they can receive (internally and from payers), and the more focus on quality and outcome, the more they can look at implementation. Essentially, if providers can receive payment regardless of whether a patient receives services in or out of the practice, then they have an incentive to move forward. That said, many still have not found the right mix of tools and software applications.

Telehealth is projected to be increasingly incorporated into post-acute care strategies from 2013; it is listed by CMS as one of 13 possible models to reduce readmissions. In addition, as a larger number of patients enter the insurance pool, healthcare payers are projected to adopt telehealth as a population management tool to reduce in-patient costs. Consequently, InMedica forecasts that in 2013, the telehealth market will grow by 55 percent worldwide, in terms of device and service revenues.
Theo Ahadome, senior analyst with InMedica remarked that:
“Telehealth vendors and other stakeholders have an opportunity to help healthcare providers to develop an effective post-acute care strategy. For telehealth to succeed in reaching a wider audience, it needs to break out of being a niche market and become part of a comprehensive patient-care model. This is even more important in the post-acute care market where healthcare providers are more willing to pay for telehealth if it is part of a total post-acute care model. In such a situation, healthcare provider reimbursed or allocated pre-paid funds for patient outcomes irrespective of the chosen method. In some cases and for some diseases, telehealth will be part of that model.”

Of particular concern to the U.S. government is the rise chronic conditions such as heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and obesity in a rapidly aging population. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) indicate that 30 percent of adults 20 years of age and older (or 60 million people) are clinically obese. It is possible that such high rates of obesity could lead to a further explosion in cardiovascular diseases, back pain and diabetes prevalence, providing additional impetus for healthcare cost growth as a result.

Shane Walker, co-author of the recently released InMedica study titled Telehealth – An Analysis of Demand Dynamics – 2012 Edition further stated that:
“Despite criticism of health care reform, it is clear that the long-term goals of the CMS are to move toward greater continuity of care while reducing costs through the avoidance of unnecessary duplication of services. Of course, this will require a period of transition, which the country is in currently. The beginning of this transition is the voluntary creation of accountable care organizations (ACOs), and the implementation of appropriate incentives to foster their adoption. Behavioral change can take time, as seen over the last fifty years with anti-smoking and Physical Fitness Council campaigns, but InMedica believes that telehealth is a tool that can significantly improve clinical outcomes while also achieving the ends of government initiatives. That said, it is clear from the provider and payer interviews conducted during this research that there is still much work to be done in advancing the state of telehealth in the U.S.”

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GPS and wireless technologies enable instant assistance during medical emergencies.

u-blox, the Swiss positioning and wireless chip and module company, has been chosen for global positioning and embedded 2G/3G wireless technologies by MobileHelp, America’s leading provider of M-PERS (Mobile-Personal Emergency Response System) technology. Based on u-blox’ LISA 2G/3G wireless modem and MAX GPS modules, the comprehensive system includes compact, portable alert devices that function in and around the home, and while travelling.

“As the population ages, more and more people are choosing to remain independent for as long as possible”, said Robert Flippo, President of MobileHelp.

“With the help of u-blox’ reliable, low-power positioning and wireless technologies, our MobileHelp medical alert systems are giving a whole generation of people the freedom to live in their homes and travel independently knowing that simple and fast emergency assistance is just a push-button away.”

MobileHelp medical alert systems are giving a whole generation of people the freedom to live in their homes and travel independently

MobileHelp comes in three configurations, “CLASSIC” for home-monitoring over fixed line telephone, “SOLO” for travelling and at homes without a fixed line telephone connection, and “DUO”, for travelling and at homes that have a fixed line telephone connection.

MobileHelp’s innovative alert products have been developed together with Singapore-based Daviscomms, a leading design and manufacturing partner providing advanced engineering services to customers in the consumer and industrial markets worldwide.

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