Medtech News South Africa

IoT to revolutionise healthcare

A recent survey by the Zebra Technologies Corporation indicates that 97% of the surveyed healthcare organisations agree that the Internet of Things (IoT) will be the strategic technological initiative their institution will undertake this decade.

The company will discuss the significance of the survey findings this week at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) 2015 conference in Chicago.

Laurie Eldridge-Shanaman, director, Global Healthcare Practice at Zebra Technologies comments, "The IoT offers unparalleled opportunities for the healthcare industry. From enabling physicians to track a patient's health accurately over time to better managing patient data across the healthcare continuum, IoT can advance the industry by providing visibility and process optimisation to enhance the patient experience. At HIMSS 2015, the company will demonstrate how IoT solutions, as just one part of enterprise asset intelligence, deliver vital information necessary to make better decisions at the bedside and improve outcomes."

The survey, conducted in October 2014 by Forrester Consulting on behalf of the company, showed that 90% of healthcare IT departments are prepared to make the necessary changes to implement IoT solutions; 52% have some form of IoT solution in place or are in the process of implementation and 30% have plans to do so within the next year.

Most respondents expect IoT solutions to provide real-time operational data, creating a safer work environment with greater regulatory compliance, improved operations and an enhanced patient experience. More than 70% of respondents cited Wi-Fi as the most important technology for enabling IoT solutions. Real-time locating systems (RTLS), security sensors and barcodes were also noted for their importance.

Healthcare decision makers listed security solutions, cloud services and data analytics as the most important IoT solutions for their industry.

For more information, go to www.zebra.com

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