- The analytics of AI and connectivity of IoT create an opportunity and challenge for the next generation of treatment options for patients
- Wearables often capture sensor data and transmit via Bluetooth to a user’s smart phone which forwards that data to a server
Wearable sensors are capturing unprecedented amounts of data about the health of both patients and consumers with fitness trackers, and what happens to that data depends on the convergence of two technologies: AI and IoT. Properly leveraging the benefits they offer may demand an effort toward standardization in the healthcare and device market.
Already the analytics of AI and connectivity of IoT create an opportunity as well as a challenge for the next generation of treatment options for patients. IoT provides the connectivity needed to link data from patients as they go about their day, to medical providers. AI offers a vehicle to manage that vast amount of data and analyze the details to determine what conditions may require follow up.
The transition into a new kind of health tracking has been underway for a decade or more, but it has been accelerating in recent years. “I’ve observed a significant shift towards the integration of sensor-based data into patient care,” said Lindsay Dymowski, president of Centennial Pharmacy Services, a medication-at-home pharmacy.
Wellness from a Wristband
Devices like continuous glucose monitors and wearable blood pressure monitors allow patients and their healthcare providers a real-time view into the state of the wearer’s health, on many levels.
“This trend is moving towards more comprehensive remote patient monitoring systems that can track a range of vital signs and activities, aiding in proactive healthcare management,” said Dymowski, co-founder and principal of The Centennial Group, a pharmacy management company supporting community pharmacies and health systems.
Such wearables help those with prediabetes, diabetes, hypertension or musculoskeletal conditions. They often capture sensor data and transmit via Bluetooth to a user’s smart phone which forwards that data to a server. Linxens provides medical sensor devices, for instance. The company, which launched with solutions for transportation, leisure and entertainment, has focused more on healthcare as officials see it as an area for technology growth. It offers patch-type sensors that affix directly to a user’s skin, or wearable flexible electronics.
Another example ahead could be intelligent bandages that provide a technology-based type of wound care, by which sensors could detect healing and transmit that data via an application. Such technology has been under development by other entities, such as the University of Bologna.
Tracking Healing
The university group developed a smart bandage made of a conductive polymer, known as polystyrene sulfonate, in a layer that is screen-printed onto gauze and can be used to identify changes in moisture levels. A passive UHF RFID chip is connected to two antennas woven through the fabric. The group’s design and engineering efforts included employing a layer of material that could absorb and remove liquid once moisture was detected, so that the next reading would reflect the current moisture conditions.
The smart bandage system operates by monitoring impedance variations based on the response to interrogation by an RFID reader. The impedance changes depending on the antenna’s dry and wet states.
The group designed the system so that a reader’s settings could be adjusted to detect the appropriate sensor values, based on the amount of impedance, for optimal healing depending on a variety of wounds. Such technology could be deployed in hospitals, clinics or patients’ homes.
Predicting Outcomes and Developing Plans
Transitions into these technologies mean that a wider view—into the whole of an individual’s health—is likely to follow. That kind of digital view combines data about multiple sensor readers.
“Looking ahead, I anticipate the growth of multifunctional wearables that can monitor multiple health indicators simultaneously, offering a holistic view of a patient’s health status,” Dymowski said.
It’s still early days to manage that data with AI. In today’s healthcare environment, AI’s “low-hanging fruit” includes predictive analytics and personalized care plans, according to Dymowski. “Additionally, AI can enhance medication adherence by sending reminders to patients via apps connected to smart devices, thus ensuring they take their medications as prescribed.”
Improving Healthcare Outcomes
The demand for greater capabilities is being driven not only by the wireless sensors patients have access to, but the nature of our aging populations.
“The pressures in healthcare today, such as the aging population, the increase in chronic disease prevalence, and rising healthcare costs, necessitate further adoption of AI and IoT solutions,” said Dymowski, “These technologies enable more efficient resource management, better chronic disease management at home, and reduce hospital readmissions by allowing continuous, proactive monitoring and care.”
As the technology proliferates, there are concerns to consider—data privacy, integration issues with existing healthcare systems, and the need for substantial investments in infrastructure.
Dymowski stated overcoming these challenges requires robust cybersecurity measures, developing interoperable standards to ensure devices and systems can communicate effectively, and the industry will need to foster partnerships between technology developers, healthcare providers and policymakers to support the scaling of these technologies.
Further, educating both healthcare professionals and patients about the benefits and operation of these technologies will be crucial for adoption and effective use.
Expanding Access to Wearables
But the primary challenge is the high costs of wearables and the lack of insurance coverage.
Many cutting-edge devices, such as advanced glucose monitors or remote cardiac monitoring systems, come with high price tags that are not typically covered by commercial insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. Additionally, remote patient monitoring often involves an extra co-pay, placing a financial burden on the most vulnerable populations who need these services the most. The chronically ill, who are frequently economically disadvantaged, face significant barriers in accessing these potentially life-saving technologies.
To address the cost challenge, Dymowski believes healthcare policy reform is going to be necessary.
“There needs to be a shift towards recognizing the long-term cost savings and improved patient outcomes that can be achieved through preventive measures facilitated by wearables and remote monitoring,” she said.
That means advocating for insurance policies, she pointed out, to cover these technologies as preventive care could reduce overall healthcare expenditures by decreasing emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and costly medical interventions down the line.