The healthcare industry continues to be a hotbed of innovation, with activity driven by telemedicine, real-time diagnostics, smart hospitals and access to digital therapies, as well as the growing importance of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality (AR), robotics and data management practices. In the last three years alone, there have been over 106,000 patents filed and granted in the healthcare industry, according to GlobalData’s report on Internet of Things in Healthcare: Medical device secure data transmission.
However, not all innovations are equal and nor do they follow a constant upward trend. Instead, their evolution takes the form of an S-shaped curve that reflects their typical lifecycle from early emergence to accelerating adoption, before finally stabilising and reaching maturity.
Identifying where a particular innovation is on this journey, especially those that are in the emerging and accelerating stages, is essential for understanding their current level of adoption and the likely future trajectory and impact they will have.
200+ innovations will shape the healthcare industry
According to GlobalData’s Technology Foresights, which plots the S-curve for the healthcare industry using innovation intensity models built on over 443,000 patents, there are 200+ innovation areas that will shape the future of the industry.
Within the emerging innovation stage, smart helmets, body temperature sensors, and Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) are disruptive technologies that are in the early stages of application and should be tracked closely. Smart balloon catheters, point-of-care molecular diagnostics, and automated immunoassay analysers are some of the accelerating innovation areas, where adoption has been steadily increasing. Among maturing innovation areas are Smart contact lenses and GPS integrated fitness monitors, which are now well established in the industry.
Innovation S-curve for Internet of Things in the healthcare industry
Medical device secure data transmission is a key innovation area in Internet of Things
Hospitals and other healthcare delivery groups are complicated businesses with the use of a variety of Internet of medical things and information technology. Devices connected to the Internet and operational technology are becoming more integrated. Secure data sharing necessitates providers to plan and ensure current security regulations, such as HIPAA technological measures, are met. When data can be simply and securely transferred from one provider to another, patient care will improve.
GlobalData’s analysis also uncovers the companies at the forefront of each innovation area and assesses the potential reach and impact of their patenting activity across different applications and geographies. According to GlobalData, there are 20+ companies, spanning technology vendors, established healthcare companies, and up-and-coming start-ups engaged in the development and application of medical device secure data transmission.
Key players in medical device secure data transmission – a disruptive innovation in the healthcare industry
‘Application diversity’ measures the number of different applications identified for each relevant patent and broadly splits companies into either ‘niche’ or ‘diversified’ innovators.
‘Geographic reach’ refers to the number of different countries each relevant patent is registered in and reflects the breadth of geographic application intended, ranging from ‘global’ to ‘local’.
Patent volumes related to medical device secure data transmission
Source: GlobalData Patent Analytics
People.ai is one of the leading patent filers in the field of medical device secure data transmission. Some other key patent filers in the field include Enlitic, DexCom and SoftBank Group.
In terms of application diversity, Enlitic leads the pack, followed by Johnson & Johnson, and US Patent Innovations, respectively. By means of geographic reach, ICU Medical held the top position, while Johnson & Johnson and SoftBank Group are in the second and third spots, respectively.
These systems offer a 360-degree picture of the patient's state and treatment plan. The patient's treatment success is tied heavily into the performance of these important systems currently and is expected to be a core component of treatment success in the future.
To further understand how Internet of Things is disrupting the healthcare industry, access GlobalData’s latest thematic research report on Internet of Things (IoT) in Healthcare.
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GlobalData, the leading provider of industry intelligence, provided the underlying data, research, and analysis used to produce this article.
GlobalData’s Patent Analytics tracks patent filings and grants from official offices around the world. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
