The rise of Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things (IOT) have brought revolution in various industries. In manufacturing industries, where IOT and automation are driving transformation, the healthcare sector is no exception. Presently, healthcare device manufacturing companies are leveraging smart technology with MES to design medical equipment and devices.
The biosensors integrated into medical devices allow for capturing health information in real-time. Along with the advanced healthcare model, there is a massive demand for precision medicines and medical devices to facilitate fast treatment. The combination of cutting-edge technology and manufacturing execution system made the healthcare sector more accessible, adaptable, and affordable. The global manufacturing execution systems market is projected to grow from USD 3 billion in 2022 to USD 20.4 billion by 2035, exhibiting a CAGR of 16% during forecast period, according to Roots Analysis. It is worth mentioning that, in the past few years, substantial acquisition activity has been reported in the manufacturing execution systems market, as players strive to become one-stop-shops, to cater to the diverse needs of the healthcare sector. Driven by the ongoing innovation in the industry, as well as the rise in demand for automated solutions, the manufacturing execution system providers market for the healthcare sector is likely to witness positive growth over the coming years.
What is MES?
MES stands for Manufacturing Execution System, a tech-drive software solution that helps streamline manufacturing operations. The software involves the Internet of Things to optimize the production process in real time enabling precise control. MES comes with multiple functionalities, including material tracking, production scheduling, equipment management, quality control, and performance analysis. The integration of MES with IoT in biomedical systems has brought opportunities, reshaping the healthcare services focusing on remote monitoring and precise robotic surgeries.
How are IoT and MES Used in Healthcare Systems?
The integration of the Manufacturing execution system and the Internet of Things has extended the IoMT development in many healthcare practices. Let’s explore how IoT and MES are helping the healthcare system.
§ Emergency Medical Care:
The advancement in IoT and MES software has greatly reduced the wait for emergency care. Devices, including infrared sensors, Radio Frequency Identification Tags, computer vision and others, help to collect data in real-time about the availability of a bed in the hospital.
Infrared sensors maintain records of the hospital’s supply of blood and the varieties of blood that are available, in addition to helping with bed availability. Additionally, this knowledge allows EMTs to choose the most appropriate institution for a patient.
The future of IoT-centric medical care enables emergency care faster with great precision, allowing doctors to save patient lives.
§ IoT-Enabled Biomedical System
The IoT and MES integration has enabled the formation of biomedical systems. Sophisticated technology plays an essential role in monitoring, accurately diagnosing, and precise treatment of diseases. With advancements in IoT and MES, companies have started manufacturing wearable smart medical implants, wearable devices, smart medical implants, and real-time data collection devices.
This IoT-based biomedical system made it possible to provide accurate treatment by tracking health parameters in real time. Furthermore, the groundbreaking IoT applications in biomedical systems, such as smart insulin pumps help diabetic patients live a quality life. The smart device helps with real-time monitoring of blood glucose levels and automatically delivers insulin doses into the blood, reducing hypoglycemia risk based on the data.
§ IoT Integrated Pharmaceutical Manufacturing
Drug discovery and production is a tedious process. However, with the integration of IoT and MES, drug discovery becomes easier and reduces the cost of designing drugs. The IoT made it possible to design digital twins that can be used for the collection of real-time data regarding the impact of drugs on the human body. This also reduces the cost and time needed to design drugs, thereby boosting pharmaceutical companies to meet high rise demand for drugs in the healthcare system.
IoT with MES enables the production of wearable healthcare devices such as heart rate monitoring cuffs, glucometers, wireless blood pressure measuring instruments, and more. This allows patients to check their health parameters in real-time. The emergence of IoT has revolutionized the healthcare industry to provide the best healthcare devices so patients can track their health conditions remotely and get treatment on time from healthcare providers.
Benefits of Integrating Manufacturing Execution System with IoT Technology in Healthcare System
The emergence of IoT technology with manufacturing execution system software has created countless benefits in healthcare manufacturing processes. The prime benefits of integration of IOT and manufacturing execution system include:
§ Reduce Irrelevant Testing Cost- IoT enables recording of data within real time that helps to reduce the cost of irrelevant testing and unnecessary trials.
§ Drug and Equipment Management- Healthcare sector faces challenges in medicinal drug and equipment management. However, with integration of IoT in the system and connected devices, drug management becomes cost effective and efficient.
§ Better Product Quality- The IoT helps in the detection of defects in real time to take immediate action for designing high-quality products.
§ Improved Performance- The involvement of automation, IoT, and MES improves the productivity of healthcare devices. Furthermore, the insertion of IoT-based sensors helps accurate collection of data to deliver appropriate treatment.
§ Real-Time Visibility- The integration of IOT allows manufacturing companies to monitor operations and take prompt action. The instant visibility of data enables healthcare device manufacturers to take a proactive approach to decision-making and prevent disruption in the production process.
Challenges Associated With IoT Integration With MES
Although IoT integration with MES has promising benefits, the adoption of advanced technology in the healthcare system comes with lots of challenges and concerns. Following are the challenges that have to be addressed associated with IoT and MES for successful implementation.
§ Data Accuracy and Consistency- The IoT devices relies on cloud computing for fetching data. Sometimes, due to device malfunctioning, they may generate false results, which further leads to inappropriate treatment. Hence, regular monitoring requires maintaining data accuracy.
§ Data Privacy and Security- The interconnected network of IoT devices and MES raises concerns about patient data privacy and security. Healthcare data is extremely sensitive and may be subjected to cyber-attacks and potential breaches. Because of this, patient’s information is at greater risk. To address the concern, companies have to focus on security measures and end-to-end encryption with MES software to ensure data security.
§ Compliance and Regulatory Challenges- The fast-paced development of IoT has created challenges in compliance and standardization in the context of healthcare regulation. Striking a balance between patient data safety and innovation remains a cause of concern for the healthcare sector when implementing IoT and MES.
§ Interoperability Issues- Various healthcare device manufacturers have implemented the manufacturing executive system and IoT devices. Hence, it may be a challenge to maintain complete interoperability between different healthcare systems. There is a need to facilitate efficient coordination between devices to share data securely.
§ Implementation Strategies- The innovation in IoT and manufacturing execution system software has opened several challenges for healthcare product manufacturing companies in designing products. Although the implement strategies may vary according to the company requirement, consider this stepwise guide to streamline the manufacturing process.
Define Manufacturing Objectives
Start with defining manufacturing objectives and goals of IoT integration. Determine the specific areas of healthcare where you need real-time collection of data, such as quality control units, predictive maintenance, resource optimization, and more.
§ Access Existing Unit- Determine the readiness and compatibility of existing SCM, ERP, and MES systems for integration of IoT. Find out the gaps between planning and limitations for necessary modifications and upgrades if required.
§ Select Suitable IoT Devices- Look into IoT devices and platforms that fit your industrial needs and effectively connect with the selected advanced planning system. Think about elements like scalability, networking possibilities, security of information features, and data-gathering capabilities.
§ Develop a Strong Data Integration Strategy- Start developing a clear data integration strategy that helps the fluid transmission of data between IoT devices and another planning system. Use data protocols, data formats, and data mapping to maintain constant data integration processes.
§ Maintain Data Security- Put strong security mechanisms in place to safeguard IoT networks, devices, and data. This comprises firewalls, access restrictions, encryption, and recurring security audits to find and fix problems.
§ Test with Pilot Project- Start a pilot project to check IoT integration within a controlled environment. This helps to evaluate the accuracy, performance, and effectiveness of the integrated system and collect feedback in real-time.
§ Continuous Improvement- Continuously evaluate the IoT integration and monitor the result. Focus on the analysis data and responses to make necessary adjustments and enhance the value of IoT integration.
Case Study: Successful Compilation of Medical IoT and MES
§ Medical IoT: 3D Imaging Technology
The IoT in the healthcare sector has taken a step towards designing an application processor that helps in delivering imaging faster with higher resolution. Earlier, it took a lot of work for healthcare practitioners to measure wound depth to understand severity and how much time it takes to heal.
Considering this fact, Eykona, which is a UK-based medical device manufacturing company, developed a wound measurement system to mitigate this challenge. The imaging system uses 3D imaging and a camera to take photographs and map the progression of the wound. With the periodic observation of tissue structure and volume of the wound, healthcare experts can evaluate treatment effectiveness and the wound healing process.
The product was designed on Digi ConnectCore® System-on-module solution, which is based on NXP’s application processor. With an accurate measurement system, doctors can identify wound severity and provide the right treatment.
§ IoT Pain Medication Management
The IoT, when combined with MES software, solves many challenges in healthcare to meet critical treatment needs. One of the ongoing challenges that healthcare experts face is monitoring and managing patient’s medications in healthcare facilities.
Another significant challenge is the unavailability of healthcare staff to provide patient care. Considering the pain-points, Avancen has developed an IoT-based healthcare solution that promptly responds to the patient and dispenses pain medication through the PRN method.
The PRN in Latin stands for “Pro re nata,” which means “as needed.” This product is known as MOD® (Medication On Demand). This is the first patient-controlled analgesia device that allows the patient to administer their oral pain medication through the PRN method.
In accordance with the recommended treatment plan, the patient waved an RFID wristband toward the front of the secured, pre-programmed device to deliver the appropriate amount of painkillers.
The device’s technology is an integrated module from Digi’s Embedded Systems product line. System-on-Modules from the Digi ConnectCore® range are the best option for innovative designs that call for improved high-performance processing.
Future Trend and Innovation With IoT in Healthcare Sector
The healthcare and IoT sector is developing rapidly. With ongoing trends of IoT devices, healthcare device manufacturers bring wearable devices to monitor health parameters in real time. The combination of manufacturing execution system software, Artificial Intelligence, and IoT introduces the concept of telemedicine. With upcoming technological advancements, the entire focus is on designing IoT devices for remote patient monitoring, predictive analysis devices, and telemedicine for accurate diagnosing and treatment. For instance, the administration of medicine and observation of patient reaction using IoT based smart devices. Also, the smart pills, or ingestible sensors, are provided to patients who forget to take their prescription on time. Patients receive an automatic reminder on their smartphone when they forget to take their regular medications. The sensor alerts their doctor to follow up if they continue to miss their medication.
The future possibilities of advanced healthcare IoT systems include the use of health data for precise strategic planning of customized treatment. There are possibilities for designing new integrated IoT devices that mitigate the concerns of safety, security, and data confidentiality. In a nutshell, the integration of MES and the Internet of Things in the healthcare system has truly transformed the experience of delivering the best services. The IoT-centric devices allow real-time predictive analytics and patient monitoring to enhance patient care. Despite challenges, there are enormous benefits of integrating IoT and MES. As technology evolves in the future, the healthcare system may come up with the best solution for the treatment of deadly diseases.
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