The global ecosystem of Internet of Things and Mobile Health
When I started my career as a nurse working in Silicon Valley, patients were already searching their symptoms online. According to the Pew Research, 59% of U.S. adults researched online for health information in 2013. In healthcare, the goals were to treat and cure with a holistic approach. I wondered then how technology would influence healthcare in the next 10 to 15 years. It is safe to say I did not foresee the Internet of Things (IoT), Mobile Health (mhealth) applications, and their effects on patient health. I traveled the United States working in various emergency departments, learning different electronic medical records (EHR). Additionally, I visited 20 different ER’s abroad, studying the various cultures and languages. I always loved technology and how it has influenced or affected providers, nurses, and patients.
The ecosystem of global citizens, providers, nurses, and data scientists has come to existing together at an accelerated rate, collecting data with the goal to improve patients health and safety. The patients are driving changes in their care, and wanting the data from mhealth devices to be shared with their providers. There is a growing group of global citizens that is motivated to use mhealth for wellness care, preventive care and chronic issues. Global citizens want their health care providers to have access to their data to structure a tailored health plan to improve their health. Mhealth applications are improving health care in developed and emerging economies through collecting data from patients, caregivers, health professionals, and researchers to create individual health plans.
The majority of global citizens manage their health at home and only a small portion use a physical hospital. There are many categories of citizens using mhealth for preventive health, chronic health, and long-term care needs. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates the mhealth in the United States, Care Quality Commission in the UK, and the EU Digital Economy & Society in continental Europe. There is a wealth of trackers and watches that interact with citizens’ applications on phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers.
Mhealth is already changing how citizens interact with providers. For example, the digital nomad (Digital nomads are people who are location independent and use technology to perform their job. Digital nomads work remotely (telecommute), which is now economically possible due to affordable internet access, smartphones and voice over internet protocol (VoIP) to keep in contact with clients and employers.) traveling from Oxford, England, to Dubai may use DrNow, a health app registered at the Care Quality Commission, which offers live video consultations with general practitioners (GP), prescriptions delivered to destination or home and sick notes. A truck driver in the United States may use Teladoc to reach a physician or therapist while on the road and use a Withings blood pressure monitor, scale, and tracker to stay healthy on the road through an IoT wristwatch. Women ranging from teenage to menopause age can use the Barcelona-based Bwom app continuously for pelvic health. European diabetics are using MedicSen for tracking their diabetes, the example are endless.
Baby boomers around the world are retiring and making sure they have access to a doctor on the go for their chronic conditions and preventive health. This presents itself as a worldwide challenge. In the future, more patients will be treated outside of a hospital and in their home environment. Real-time monitoring of vital signs contributes to creating personalized treatments and therapies, engages people to self-management their health , and encourages users to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle.
Mhealth puts global citizens at the center of their care to prevent and better manage chronic conditions. The ecosystem with the patient at the center of care with IoT and mhealth will contribute to patient safety. Be on the look out for the next IoT and mhealth coming to a home near you.
