Key questions about IoT in medical devices: Q&A with GlobalData analyst

Alexandra Murdoch is a senior analyst on the Medical Devices team at GlobalData. She has been with GlobalData since July of 2021, and currently heads the medical themes product. Prior to working on medical themes, Alexandra led the wound care, neurology, diagnostic imaging, and dental therapy areas for the Medical Devices team.

There are several developments in IoT for the medical devices industry, including the enabling of remote patient monitoring and telehealth. IoT enables the use of wearable devices and continuous monitoring of patients outside of traditional healthcare settings, allowing healthcare professionals to track viral signs, medical adherence, and other health metrics in real time, from anywhere. Additionally, IoT integration with telemedicine platforms allows for a more comprehensive virtual healthcare experience, as patients can use connected devices to gather health data at home which can be shared with healthcare providers during virtual consultations.

IoT can help relieve pressure on health services as it enables remote care. Offering healthcare services virtually allows patients to access care without the need to travel or take time off work. This is also beneficial to healthcare staff and facilities, as many healthcare systems are overrun with patients and do not have enough room or staff to care for everyone. Having the ability to monitor some patients from home creates room in healthcare facilities for patients that cannot be monitored remotely.

Yes, I think so. There are so many benefits to IoT, and healthcare is changing to a more proactive and predictive system. As more and more people use smartphones and other digital tools, connected healthcare is more feasible and more appealing to many.

One of the main barriers with IoT and really any connected medical device is cybersecurity and privacy concerns. As more medical devices become connected, ensuring the security of patient data is a concern.

Some of the leading adopters of IoT in medical devices include Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Roche, Abbott, Siemens Healthineers, and Dexcom.

GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article. 

GlobalData’s Thematic Intelligence uses proprietary data, research, and analysis to provide a forward-looking perspective on the key themes that will shape the future of the world’s largest industries and the organisations within them.