IoMT devices in smart hospitals to exceed 7M by 2026

A study by Juniper Research suggests the number of IoMT (Internet of Medical Things) in smart hospitals will exceed seven million by 2026.

IoMT devices in smart hospitals will exceed 7 million by 2026
A study by Juniper Research suggests that the number of IoMTs (Internet of Medical Things) in smart hospitals will increase by seven million by 2026.
The pandemic has brought increased scrutiny of healthcare, particularly where problems and bottlenecks have been highlighted.

One of the problems of many health systems in the world is the lack of beds. At the peak of the pandemic, approximately two-thirds of UK hospital beds were occupied by COVID-19 patients. Potentially life-saving tests and treatments must be scaled back to free up capacity, with many NHS chiefs believing it will take until 2026 to clear the backlog. The successful introduction of revaccination, combined with immunity against widespread community transmission and a variant that appears to be more infectious but less lethal—especially among vaccinated individuals—has kept hospitalizations low. top of the list (now the 7-day average is 173,261).

In fact, only about 67 per cent of UK patients with COVID-19 are being treated primarily for the virus – with almost a third of cases discovered after the patient was admitted to hospital with no associated factor.

Any patient with COVID-19 – even if they have not been previously treated for the virus – must be isolated from others to prevent spread from healthcare workers and other patients. Many NHS trusts in the UK have declared a state of emergency as a result and staffing difficulties have resulted in many staff having to be isolated.

IoMT devices enable remote monitoring of less critical and infectious patients in the comfort of their own homes. This will help ensure that there are enough beds for critical patients and that fewer medical staff are needed in the hospital.

Juniper Research identifies remote monitoring as key to delivering smart hospital services.

The researchers found that adoption was accelerated during the pandemic due to difficulties in providing personalized health care. The rapid pace is expected to continue over the next five years “as patients become accustomed to remote monitoring and benefit from proactive management and treatment of medical conditions.”