With advances in IoT and medical device technology, the ability to offer remote and continuous monitoring of a patient’s health will play a larger role in the diagnosis and treatment of many ailments. Pandemics like COVID-19 have already shown the value of having connected devices, like smart thermometers provided by Kinsa® to track and predict outbreaks.

Kinsa is one company that created an early warning system from their network of connected thermometers to help public health officials identify where outbreaks of influenza-like illness (ILI) are occurring. This system has shown it can predict and alert communities of an ILI outbreak far earlier than the CDC and, recently, Kinsa’s detection of atypical illness has shown a strong correlation to outbreaks of COVID-19.3
Connected medical devices can also be used to track lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and asthma, which need continuous monitoring. Companies like Vocera® are leading the way by providing smart communication devices for healthcare workers and those on the front lines.4