Last Updated | May 3, 2024
The healthcare industry is undergoing a profound transformation, and medical technology companies are at the forefront, harnessing the power of connected health devices. These tools revolutionize patient care, from wearable fitness trackers to remote monitoring systems. They enable real-time data collection, analysis, and sharing between patients and healthcare providers, paving the way for improved patient outcomes and cost reduction.
This blog is a practical guide for MedTech companies on thriving with connected health devices. Whether a MedTech executive, investor, or healthcare provider, this blog provides valuable insights, connected health devices benefits, and best practices for navigating the connected health landscape, empowering you to drive meaningful change in your organization.
What Are Connected Health Devices?
A connected health device is an electronic gadget that uses the internet to track and monitor its user’s activity. It uses sensors that measure health metrics such as blood pressure, heart rate, user activity, sleep patterns, blood oxygen, and more. The importance of data quality in healthcare dictates the trajectory of treatment and needs to be of the highest quality possible.
Connected health devices collect patient data and most commonly transmit it to an accompanying application, cloud-based platform, or healthcare providers. This creates a two-way street where real-time patient data is collected and shared with healthcare providers, giving them more profound insights into their patients’ conditions.
One Fortune Business insights report projects the global connected healthcare market to be worth $297.75 billion by 2028, which shows significant growth potential.
How Do Connected Health Devices Work?
Understanding what connected health devices are is just the beginning. It’s crucial to delve into how they work. This section comprehensively explains the intricacies of connected health devices, navigating smart medical devices, and ensuring you’re well-informed and knowledgeable in this rapidly evolving field.
Collecting Data
Connected wearable devices for health monitoring work by combining complex sensors with defined measurement metrics. The sensors in these devices track heart rate, blood pressure, movement, and other physical attributes. These sensors vary depending on the device type. For example, smartwatches use UV light to collect heart rate data and stress, while blood pressure monitors use cuffs to record data.
Wireless Transmission
Bluetooth and cellular-connected health monitoring devices use Bluetooth or cellular data to transmit information from the device to a phone or hub. Premium versions of cellular-connected health devices come with built-in cellular connectivity. Remote patient monitoring devices allow user data to move seamlessly from the device to a hub and into the cloud, all in the background.
Display and Processing
Data generated from health-connected devices is translated into clear reports, graphs, and charts. This lets users make sense of their health data and share it with their healthcare providers. The companion mobile application displays this data, allowing users to always have real-time access to their data. A real-world example of this would be organizations repursuing user data to develop an ERP for medical device manufacturers to achieve better end results.
Remote Monitoring
Health-connected medical devices record and transmit healthcare data at regular intervals. This data can be stored or shared with a healthcare provider’s platform for remote monitoring. Additionally, this information lets doctors monitor patients, identify issues early on, and intervene early on. A ZS study showed that 40% of adults in the US use health apps and 35% use health wearables. This shows great promise for remote monitoring in the future.
List of Top 9 Most Demanded Connected Health Devices in 2024
This section covers the nine most in-demand connected health devices. We expound on the best-connected health device examples and the benefits of collected health devices.
1. Dexcom
Dexcom is the first connected medical device example on this list. It is renowned for its expertise in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems, which use small sensors under the skin and a transmitter to send blood sugar data to a smartphone app or receiver.
Advantages of Using Dexcom Devices
The advantages of using Dexcom CGM systems include:
- Monitoring blood sugar levels in real-time and alerts users in case of high or low readings
- Improves glycemic control, leading to improved diabetes management
- Eliminates the need for finger sticks to manage blood sugar levels
- Proactive measures that prevent dangerous episodes
2. Ambrosia Systems Inc
Continuous Glucose monitoring is Ambrosia’s forte. The Ambrosia Blucon is an NFC and BLE electronic transmitter that can be connected to various devices to transmit glucose readings in real-time. It works with the Freestyle Libre product line and Apple Health-connected devices.
Advantages of Using Ambrosia Systems Inc
The advantages of Ambrosia Systems products include:
- Easy connectivity with existing BGM for effective diabetes management
- Alarms for extraordinary readings and remote monitoring
- Readings every 5 minutes for better insights
- Insulin, medication, exercise, and food logging features
3. Google Fit
The Google Fit mobile application uses a smartphone’s sensors to track various user health metrics, including daily steps, sleep patterns, heart rate, and activity level. Google Fit requires no additional hardware, only using the smartphone’s sensors for activity tracking.
Advantages of Using Google Fit Devices
The advantage of using Google Fit include:
- Intuitive interface with easy navigation
- Introductory heart rate and activity monitoring
- Integration with other services and devices
- Integration with other Google services, i.e., Google Maps
- Available on billions of devices running Android OS and iOS
4. Freestyle Libre
Similar to Dexcom, Freestyle Libre offers CGM systems to measure blood sugar. The sensor is inserted under the skin, and the smartphone app monitors blood sugar information. Users have real-time access to vital information, allowing them to keep their health in check. FreeStyle Libre devices are great examples of customer service in healthcare due to their amazing product, which improves diabetics’ lives.
Advantages of Using Freestyle Libre Devices
The advantages of Freestyle Libre devices include:
- Painless insertion compared to other finger stick models
- Smoother data sharing with healthcare professionals
- Longer sensor life (14 days) compared to the competition
5. Tidepool
Tidepool is a cloud-based platform that allows users to collect diabetes data from multiple devices and present it in a unified view. It doesn’t track health metrics but is a data repository for different diabetes management devices. This data can be shared with endocrinologists, clinicians, healthcare providers, and researchers.
Advantages of Using Tidepool Devices
The most common advantages of using Tidepool devices include the following:
- Tidepool promotes data integration by connecting with various diabetes apps and devices
- Users can access a centralized platform to see and analyze their insulin, blood sugar, and other diabetes data
- Tidepool devices let diabetic patients securely share data with their healthcare providers
6. Ibgstar Glucose Meter by Safoni-Aventis
The Ibgstar glucose meter is a blood glucose meter offering a simple way to measure blood sugar levels. Some Ibgstar models offer Bluetooth for better connectivity. This is a simple and effective way to keep sugar levels in check at all times.
Advantages of Using Safoni-Aventis Devices
The advantages of using these devices include:
- Precise blood sugar readings, even with a small sample
- Compact and portable construction for ease of use
- Bluetooth connectivity for seamless data transfer between devices and applications
7. OneTouch Verio Sync and Onetouch Reveal App by Lifescan
Lifescan’s OneTouch Verio Sync and Reveal application is part of a line of blood glucose meters. Users receive real-time blood sugar data transmitted wirelessly from the device to its application.
Advantages of Using Lifescan Devices
The advantages of Lifescan devices include the following:
- Improving blood sugar testing using wireless data transfer to the OneTouch reveal application
- Getting trend tracking and data visualization from the OneTouch reveal application and other tools to improve diabetes management.
- Using the information from the device and application to identify patterns between blood sugar levels and other
8. Blood Glucose Meter and Diabetes Pal App by Telcare
The Telcare blood glucose meter connects with the Diabetes Pal mobile application to monitor blood sugar levels. Diabetes is among the most prevalent health conditions, and diabetic patients need all the help they can to live a better life. The BGM and diabetes pal application by Telcare get the job done, and then some.
Advantages of Using Telcare Devices
The advantages of using Telcare devices include:
- Easy blood sugar testing by transferring patient data from a BGM to its mobile application in real time
- The Diabetes Pal application can record blood sugar readings, insulin intake, meals, and other diabetes data samples
- The insights from the application improve diabetes management for diabetics
9. Challenges Of Connected Health Devices
As helpful as connected health devices, various connected health devices challenges are associated with more widespread adoption. This section addresses the challenges of connected health devices, with the most important being:
Privacy Concerns
Connected health devices constantly collect and transmit patient data. This is private information that users do not want to share with the general public. Ensuring data privacy and security is imperative at all times. There could be serious consequences if user data gets into the wrong hands.
Data Management
With so much data being generated and stored, managing it can overwhelm patients and healthcare providers. Effective data management strategies are important to manage insights for this data without information overload.
Interoperability
There is a lack of standardization in several devices and their platforms. The result? It is difficult for devices from different manufacturers to work together, preventing an integrated healthcare ecosystem from developing.
Digital Divide
Access to the Internet and relevant technology still needs to be improved. This means not everyone has adequate access to the technology required to use connected health devices. The digital divide is a major hurdle for more widespread technological adoption.
Reliability And Battery Life
Many connected healthcare devices have batteries that need to be recharged. Frequent charging and replacing batteries can be cumbersome and inconvenient. Additionally, having a low battery when you really need it can be a terrible position.
Conclusion
The success of MedTech companies in the connected health device market depends on their ability to create innovative, user-friendly, and secure connected health and wellness devices that meet the needs of healthcare providers and patients. MedTech companies must remain vigilant in their efforts to stay current with the latest technology trends and regulatory requirements.
Collaborating with healthcare providers, patients, and other stakeholders ensures that their connected health devices are designed with the end-user in mind, ultimately leading to greater success in the future of connected health devices. The connected health device market presents a significant opportunity for MedTech companies to improve healthcare outcomes and reduce costs.
About the Author
Rameeza Yasin
I'm a performance-driven Digital Marketing Lead skilled in creating marketing plans and leading exceptional marketing campaigns for the Digital Health Industry.
