Integration of multiple technologies heralds a new era in smart healthcare

Addressing the needs of an “aging population” has emerged as a significant global challenge. It underlines the importance of monitoring and enhancing the health of the elderly.

Imagine if you had an assistant who could record every tiny change in your body, around the clock. For example, it could issue warnings in the early stages of a disease before symptoms strike. The health-related information could also be transmitted to your family members or medical care team to facilitate an early diagnosis and treatment. It would relieve the anxiety surrounding health that tends to escalate with age, and bring priceless peace of mind.

In the field of smart health, cutting-edge technology enables the use of wearable devices that serve as health evaluation assistants. Personal health data is translated into medical action guides with the help of advanced technologies like smart connect and AI. It makes health management smarter, more effective and more personalized.

Enjoy personalized healthcare and protection with digital technologies

In the field of smart health, wearable devices literally bring healthcare into your home and onto your body. They enable us to visualize our personal health and attain a snapshot of our health status through a range of digital technologies such as the following.

• Sensor technologies: Through advanced technologies such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, pulse sensors, blood pressure sensors, and pulse oximeters, wearable devices can instantly monitor and record the user's physical data, such as heart rate, blood pressure, step count, sleep quality, and so on.
   
• Wireless communication technologies: Including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NFC, they make it possible for wearable devices to communicate with smartphones or other devices for data transfer and synchronization.
   
• Biometrics technologies: These include finger print authentication and iris recognition, and are used to ensure user privacy and data security.
   
• Connectors: Given the compact design of wearable devices, connection technologies such as flexible flat cables (FFC) and flexible printed circuits (FPC) provide featherweight and low-profile solutions while delivering reliable and high-speed performance.
   

Avnet’s partner Molex provides advanced connector products that deliver high-performance connections in harsh environments with vibration and repeated sterilization. For example, Molex FFC/FPC connectors feature a multi-functional and independent dual-bottom contact design, wide temperature range, and a 0.50mm or 1.00mm pitch, thereby endowing wearable devices with a high degree of flexibility. Meanwhile, Avnet is developing a solution for smartwatches that enables them to monitor not just a user's heart rate but also their heart rate variability and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2). It also includes other advanced functions, such as tracking energy consumption, sleep analysis, and so on.

The ongoing advancement of digital technology is driving wearable devices towards medical-grade applications, making them an important reference for assessing patients' physical conditions.

Own your own personal health management platform with the integration of multiple technologies

As personal health monitoring devices gain popularity, consumers now expect them to deliver not only data, but also viable recommendations based on their physical condition.

Leveraging the integration of multiple technologies such as 5G, AI, big data analysis, and cloud computing, we can turn wearable devices into a health management platform with personalized features. The high-speed transmission and low latency of 5G can provide users with efficient and accurate health assessments. AI and big data analysis allow wearable devices to identify health risks for the user and give personalized suggestions. Cloud computing delivers protection for data storage and sharing, enhancing the security of users’ data.

Thanks to these advanced technologies, health monitoring devices are fast becoming users' personal 24-hour health advisors, bringing scientific and personalized health management into the homes of regular citizens.

Access healthcare services at your fingertips with an online virtual assistant

Beyond the home, virtual assistants and chatbots that integrate AI and machine learning technologies can also deliver significant benefits in clinical settings. These smart systems can not only give relevant recommendations on treatment, diagnosis, and medication to doctors, but can also interact directly with patients, answer their questions, and provide informed medical advice.

The core technology of virtual medical assistants lies in their ability to process and analyze large amounts of medical data. Thanks to a seamless connection with the medical system, virtual assistants can assist doctors in sorting out medical records and scheduling appointments, thus improving the efficiency of medical services. In addition, they can also assist patients in remembering to take their medications and perform prescribed exercises through smart reminders, effectively improving patient compliance.

Better still, once medical assistants are fully embraced by primary-level medical and health care institutions, patients in remote areas will be able to enjoy quality medical resources. This will help provide timely diagnoses and treatment plans, and even remote monitoring and follow-ups. Once implemented, it can effectively balance the distribution of medical resources and improve the efficiency and equity of the public health system.

Conclusion

The development of the smart health industry brings profound benefits not just to seniors, but to everyone. Smart health will deepen our understanding of our own health and inform how we manage it. With the growing popularity of wearable devices and ongoing advances in diversified technologies, a comprehensive, multi-level smart health ecosystem is taking shape.

In the field of smart health, Avnet can assist medical device manufacturers, health technology companies, and businesses in need of smart health solutions. The global technology leader is actively playing a role in the optimization of medical processes and the creation of new personalized experiences in health management through its series of innovative sensing, processing, and embedded technologies.

Thanks to technology solutions providers like Avnet, the future of smart healthcare looks brighter and brighter.