MDNews - Long Island

A S CONSUMERS, WE continuously surround ourselves with more and more gadgets to make our lives easier. Over the last few years, we have been hearing a lot about the Internet of Things (IoT), but what is IoT? Could that somehow apply to the delivery of health-related services? We'll start, well, from the beginning. LET'S DEFINE IOT IoT loosely refers to devices that can process data, be programmed and connect to a network using various methods such as Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth or cellular network chips. Often referred to as smart devices, IoT devices are everywhere. The smartwatch on your wrist is an IoT device. The thermostat on the wall at home or your app-controlled light bulb are IoT devices. Even the car you drive is likely an IoT device. Some studies suggest that in 2018, consumers will spend over $62 billion on IoT devices and related services. IS IOT THAT GREAT? IoT devices such as smart coffee makers, auto-adjusting thermo- stats, or smartphone-operated garage door openers can definitely make everyday life more convenient by removing the need for a physical presence to complete basic tasks. All of this futuristic convenience that seemingly allows us to do anything from anywhere, definitely comes with a fair share of security, availability and privacy-related concerns. Do you remember the October 2016 outage that prevented access to major websites, including Twitter, CNN, Netflix, and many others? This was a sophisticated Distributed Denial of Service attack that was orchestrated by hackers and delivered through millions of hacked internet-connected devices. On the privacy side, hackers can easily log in to security cameras or even worse, baby monitoring cameras, to watch a live feed and in some cases interact with the monitored subject. An effective way to prevent this from happening to you or your loved ones is to specify a long, hard-to-guess access password instead of the default password that the manufacturer set for an easy plug and play installation. Internet of Things (IoT) in Healthcare, Really? IOT IN HEALTH CARE With seemingly endless possibilities to introduce smart devices into our lives, the healthcare IoT niche is rapidly growing. Fitness and activity trackers that encourage us to maintain a healthy and active life dominate this field. These devices are offered for almost every age and are designed to be worn 24/7 to track how much we exercise and how well we sleep. Some activity trackers rely on a nearby smartphone to communicate but an increasing number of new models are equipped with built-in Wi-Fi or cellular network chips. The next category seeing tremendous growth includes devices that can remotely monitor patients' vital signs, such as blood pressure, heart rate, glucose levels, weight and more. Rather than scheduling frequent trips to a medical practice for vitals to be measured, the patient is able to get a real-time read of their own health metrics. The continuous collection of information by the always-on sensors allows the patient and the care provider to analyze long-term measurements and identify spikes or trends that might directly dictate medicine dose, levels of activity or the need to schedule an in-person visit. IoT devices, coupled with other remote video capabilities, can significantly reduce the cost of preventive care and extend the time between office visits. The group of more invasive sensors connected IoT includes implantable cardioverter defibrillators, pacemakers, advanced hearing aids and automated insulin delivery systems that work hand-in-hand with glucose measuring sensors. Having remote access to these devices allows the physician to monitor, alert and intervene where applicable. THE FUTURE OF IOT IoT is here to stay. IoT devices will continue to evolve and deliver new levels of convenience, safety, automation and cost reduction. Healthcare providers will team up with device and software manufacturers to keep us all healthier. To avoid hacks and misuse, IoT security must also evolve. Dotan Akiva, CISSP, is Director of Information Technology at Miller & Milone PC, where he draws from over 15 years of experience in information technology and management. He leads a team of desktop, application support and software development professionals at the corporate headquarters located in Garden City, as well as satellite offices throughout New York City, Nassau and Suffolk. n BY DOTAN AKIVA Dotan Akiva 1 6❱❱❱❱❱ M E D I C A L T E C H N O L O G Y

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