What’s the Hardest Part of Developing a Connected Healthcare Device?

What you’ll learn:

Data security in healthcare.
Why reliability is critical in IoT healthcare.
Accessibility and IoT healthcare devices.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is no stranger to healthcare. The popularity of wearable devices like smartwatches and the increased demand for remote monitoring of patients in clinical medical environments, which continues to expand into home care (especially after the COVID-19 pandemic), are pushing the industry toward digital transformation.

Expected to reach 370 billion USD by 2033, the global IoT medical devices market is rapidly ramping up. IoT-enabled devices enable faster, more accurate data collection, helping make informed diagnoses and timely decisions about patient treatment and care. Sensors integrated into medical equipment allow for real-time tracking of location, usage, and condition so that hospitals can overcome logistical challenges.

Beyond hospital walls, the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has improved remote patient monitoring. IoT devices help track key health metrics like blood pressure, heart rate, and glucose levels, giving patients the ability to manage medical conditions that require close monitoring. Both patients and medical providers thus have greater control over their health, enabling proactive management that can prevent issues down the line.

However, increased demand and complexity of IoT brings heightened expectations and challenges. Medical device manufacturers are working hard to deliver more functionality in smaller, more integrated end-device designs, all while addressing the challenges for more complex compute, extended battery life, and high levels of security. Balancing these priorities requires a strategic and thoughtful approach to security, reliability, and accessibility in new IoT healthcare applications.

Data Security in Healthcare

Data security in healthcare is a top priority, especially as more medical devices become connected. IoT devices in healthcare are often tasked with collecting, storing, and transferring large amounts of sensitive patient data. From connected systems like continuous glucose meters and CT scanners to smart infusion pumps, these technologies, when enabled with wireless connectivity, can greatly improve efficiency and care. However, they’re not immune to security threats.

With the industry experiencing the highest-cost data breaches for years, the threat of security attacks is costly to healthcare. Attacks can compromise the confidentiality and availability of sensitive patient information. Equally concerning, security breaches may severely disrupt operations and prevent patients from receiving the care they need when they need it.

Secure wireless connectivity solutions are critical for ensuring new IoT solutions entering the healthcare setting are as secure as they are helpful. Measures, including securing devices at the chip level and meeting clinical testing certification requirements such as FDA approval, are key to protecting patient data during transmission.

Furthermore, complying with regulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) can be a long and tedious process for device makers. Nevertheless, it’s fundamental to getting new IoT medical devices to market effectively and responsibly.

Why Reliability is Critical in IoT Healthcare

A single malfunction or data inconsistency can result in misdiagnoses, delayed medical action, or wrong treatment. That makes reliability essential for IoT healthcare applications.

In connected health devices, strong compute power and reliable connectivity aren’t simply nice-to-have features. Connected devices in and out of hospitals must be able to handle demanding tasks efficiently and often require real-time data processing and robust wireless data transfer.

For that reason, solutions providers like Silicon Labs are developing wireless connected solutions that help ensure even the smallest medical devices have high-performance wireless, large memory capacity, and multi-connection support. There’s also the need for strong security architecture and services to reliably react on possible IoT security threats on time.

Battery life is another important factor for modern medical devices, many of which need to operate for extended periods. Advances like portable, connected glucose meters are making healthcare more flexible and improving operational efficiency.

However, power efficiency is crucial to ensuring that these battery-dependent applications provide their intended value. Device makers must have robust connected health technologies that are well-suited for developing these devices with long-lasting power. Low-power, high-performance SoCs are necessary to build connected medical devices that remain functional and reliable for years to come.

Accessibility and IoT Healthcare Devices

IoT healthcare devices are designed with one goal in mind: improving people’s lives. Still, emerging challenges test medical innovation. For instance, a growing aging population, where one in five Americans is expected to be 65 years old or older by 2030, will add strain on healthcare systems. Issues such as a higher frequency of chronic diseases and greater need for long-term care will require the healthcare industry to continue finding new ways to bring medical care to patients, even outside of the traditional hospital setting.

In addition, six in 10 people in the U.S. have at least one chronic disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While conditions like diabetes and heart disease may not necessitate long hospital stays, it's often still crucial to monitor metrics or activity closely to manage them. This has made strategic product design choices, e.g., compact designs and lightweight materials, an increasing necessity for new IoT medical devices to make patients’ lives easier and avoid extra burdens.

Take Bardy Diagnostics' portable cardiac monitor. By improving the signal quality and diagnostic accuracy of ambulatory heart rhythm monitors, Bardy’s device provides precise, secure recordings with speed and low power consumption. With user needs in mind, Bardy’s device has a small, lightweight design that lets people go about their daily routines, knowing the rhythm of their hearts is monitored closely and accurately.

Transforming the Future of Healthcare

By supporting proactive, personalized, and more accessible care through improved data collection, IoT is redefining healthcare and creating improved patient outcomes.

However, for IoT applications to truly improve the healthcare experience, they must deliver value. With a patient’s well-being at stake, the benefits of connected health devices must outweigh the risks. And that’s only achievable when device makers have a robust, comprehensive toolchain for developing reliable, secure, and effective IoT healthcare solutions.

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