FEATURE TECHNOLOGY HEADER
When the first wireless devices were introduced to enable remote monitoring of patients ' health conditions , it was nothing short of a revolution . As well as freeing up hospital beds for patients with more serious conditions , it gave the monitor wearer the ability to be able to go about their usual day , such as in the case of blood pressure monitors , which although clunky in their early days have now become far more discreet .
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted another huge benefit : infection prevention , by minimising hospital visits and contact .
The network of physical devices that contains the sensors and software that make this remote monitoring possible , is the Internet of Things ( IoT ) and wearable devices like Fitbits and Apple Watches .
" I happen to be a runner , and I ’ ve used monitors for two decades ," explains Nicole Fagen , Director of Product Management & Strategy for AIOps and Automation at Broadcom . " They constantly improve what they ' re able to track . Initially it was just heart rate , and then it was how many steps , then altitude , then it was how fast I was running – and then it could map my whole run . So every step of the way , monitors collect more data that give doctors more insights that they are able to leverage . healthcareglobal . com 87