How to Cut Through the Noise of the Healthcare Internet of Things

Healthcare providers are busy people.  Between high patient loads and the demands of EHR documentation, the reporting requirements, the internal meetings, and the minutes wasted waiting for test results or other communications from the care team, there is often precious little time to get a cup of coffee, let alone sit down to rethink their workflow procedures.

Sometimes they’re so busy that being asked to take an hour out of their hectic schedules to try out new time-saving technologies seems like a particularly cruel joke. An endless cavalcade of pitches and promotions from start-ups offering the latest and greatest in patient engagement tools and big data analytics products often goes ignored as clinicians hustle to clear waiting rooms, finish up paperwork, and maybe – just maybe – even leave the office on time.

While developers are cashing in on growing consumer interest in wearable devices, connected home monitors, and fitness trackers, the Internet of Things hasn’t really demonstrated its ability to bring value into the clinical environment. Patient-generated health data is largely ignored by physicians who are frustrated by the idea of combing through reams of irrelevant information, and EHR vendors have been so preoccupied with basic usability and interoperability concerns that IoT integration hasn’t yet become a show-stopping priority...