CIO OPINION on-going Digital Transformation of industries across the world , supporting everything from mainstream personalisation , to enhanced real-time insight , faster product and service innovation .
And the healthcare industry is no exception , with a number of current developments already hinting at the opportunities at the Edge . So , here are three ways in which the Edge is set to reshape the world of healthcare .
Patient generated health data
IoT medical devices such as wearable sensors , blood glucose monitors and healthcare apps are becoming increasingly common . In fact , US hospitals are already estimated to have as many as 10 – 15 IoT devices per bed . All of these devices are collecting huge amounts of patient generated health data , allowing medical professionals to better diagnose problems and monitor health over long periods of time . However , there is no point collecting all this data if you can ’ t immediately use it , which is where the Edge comes into its own .
When using connected devices , clinicians need to access information as quickly as possible in order to make well-informed medical decisions – for an industry where a few seconds can literally be the difference between life or death any lag in delivery could be absolutely critical to the patient . By processing data at the Edge of the network rather than transporting it back to the centre , Edge technologies are able to eliminate unnecessary latency and deliver far speedier results than traditional architectures .
This means that healthcare IT architectures can still gain the benefit of gathering health-related data while also getting the immediate , real-time analytics that can predict and respond to health emergencies . IoT medical devices can analyse a person ’ s current condition and send alerts the moment anomalies are detected , allowing for rapid response times that may well save their life .
One example of the way in which real-time analytics and rapid responses enabled by Edge technologies are already being used to improve care for patients can been seen in the treatment of diabetes in some countries . In this case , a sensor is embedded inside a patient to measure levels of insulin and automatically controls an insulin pump within their body . This innovation effectively regulates care and can help to
With Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning offering far greater analysis of patient data than ever before , healthcare organisations have a real opportunity to better understand the efficacy of treatments and medications , allowing better targeting and less waste .
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