IoMT and NFC can revolutionize healthcare delivery

Chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, asthma and arthritis, require the long-term use of medications, which patients in their own homes often manage. Smart connected medical devices can provide significant support for improving patient self-care, both in terms of drug administration and authentication, as well as usage reminders and adherence advice. Recent advancements in near-field communication (NFC) tagging can revolutionize home-based care and data-led treatments, improving outcomes for patients and supporting their health over the long term.

The promise of networked medical devices

The internet of medical things (IoMT) refers to the network of medical devices, sensors and applications that are connected and interconnected through the internet. It encompasses various technologies and devices, including wearable fitness trackers, remote patient-monitoring systems, smart medical devices and health-monitoring apps. The IoMT is particularly useful for collecting, analyzing and exchanging health-related data in real time, allowing for improved patient self-care, remote patient monitoring, personalized treatments and improved decision-making by healthcare providers.

NFC tags will become an increasingly important part of the IoMT. These small wireless devices with unique identifiers can be attached to or embedded into medical monitoring and treatment devices, and even attached onto medication packaging, facilitating seamless communication and data exchange between medical products, patients and healthcare providers.

The data storage capacity, reliable security features and augmented functionalities like condition sensing of these advanced NFC tags ensure reliable real-time transmission of critical health information. For instance, healthcare professionals can instantly access a patient’s medication and treatment data, drilling down to dosage levels and administration times. This data is captured automatically via hospital equipment, such as a smart infusion pump, which is connected to a network. In a home setting, the patient’s smart injector, for example, interacts with an NFC-enabled phone to transfer the data onward to a physician’s cloud service.

Subject to the patient’s consent, medication-adherence data can be securely stored in the cloud. This allows healthcare practitioners to monitor the patient’s adherence history and offer tailored feedback. (Source: NXP Semiconductors)

Improving patient medication adherence

Advances in NFC technology can thus go a long way toward addressing some of the most challenging issues in medical care today, such as ensuring patients can better manage their chronic health conditions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), patient adherence to long-term medication therapy in developed countries averages at about 50%, and in developing countries, the rates are even lower.

Patients sometimes experience delays in filling their prescriptions, face difficulties in comprehending proper dosing instructions or can forget to take their medications at designated times. The consequences of lapses in medication adherence can lead to poor health outcomes for patients and an increased burden on healthcare systems, but NFC tags now have the potential to address this issue.

With a simple tap of a phone on an NFC-tagged product, patients can quickly access documents and videos that provide valuable information, such as instructions on drug usage, potential side effects and guidance on avoiding interactions. For even better adherence, apps can also be made available to set up reminders for their prescribed medicine doses.

Incorporating an NFC reader into a multi-use refillable drug delivery device, such as an auto-injector or smart inhaler, can also help patients with adherence. The reader automatically authenticates the NFC tag attached to the drug consumable, such as a syringe or cartridge, ensuring its authenticity from a trusted source or viability based on the expiration date.

Following each usage, the reader records the action, while the tag stores incremental counter values to protect against reuse. The data can be synchronized to one’s phone app using Bluetooth connectivity, allowing users to track their adherence history. With patient consent, their adherence history can be shared with healthcare providers to facilitate comprehensive care and personalized feedback.

When connected to a drug delivery device like an auto-injector or inhaler, NFC tags can contribute to improving medication adherence. (Source: NXP Semiconductors)

Advanced battery-free capacitive-sensing NFC technologies can also detect fill levels and mechanical movements inside devices. Smart injectable devices, such as syringes, can verify the dosage level when tapped with an NFC phone and the right app to ensure that the medication is taken correctly. This technology could also check the fill level of medicines stored in opaque packaging and send the patient a reminder to replenish their prescriptions.

When NFC ICs are combined with processors and integrated sensors, advanced functionalities like intelligent temperature monitoring and logging become possible. This technology allows an insulin injection pen, for example, to indicate when a dose has reached room temperature, making injections less painful.

Additionally, vials or their trays containing temperature-sensitive drugs like insulin and vaccines can generate detailed data logs, providing evidence that the drug has been appropriately stored within the required temperature range during the cold chain and remains viable. These logs can prove invaluable in optimizing fulfillment processes by identifying any systemic handling issues within the broader supply chain or at the point of care.

Tackling the challenge of counterfeit drugs

There are other ways the IoMT is making a difference, notably through ensuring the safety and authenticity of medication. According to the WHO, approximately 10% of global medication sales consist of counterfeit drugs. Counterfeit medicines can lack active ingredients, contain incorrect quantities or be tainted with harmful “fillers,” such as chalk, mercury, paint and poisons. These counterfeits can be found in illegal street markets, websites, legitimate pharmacies, clinics and even hospitals.

This is not only a developing world issue: In the U.S., there are instances where counterfeit drugs infiltrate legitimate supply chains, and approximately 1% of prescriptions filled at traditional pharmacies are thought to be fake. However, most substandard and falsified medicines in the U.S. are typically acquired through online purchases. According to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, some 95% of websites offering prescription drugs operate illegally.

Pharmaceutical companies have employed various strategies to combat the issue of drug counterfeiting, including using item-level serialization and optical codes like a data matrix or QR code. However, these coding systems are static and relatively easy to copy, making them susceptible to counterfeiting.

While the data matrix system is designed to ensure traceability throughout the distribution supply chain until the point of dispensation, it does not extend to tracking the last step of reaching the patient. Furthermore, optical codes lack the functionality to serve as advanced “sensor platforms,” as they are unable to respond to external events, such as tampering, or accurately record changes in factors like fill level or temperature.

Locking down authentication with NFC technology for IoMT

NFC is a particularly suitable technology for facilitating data transfer between IoMT devices. Unlike other wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, NFC offers enhanced security, as it requires the tag and the reader to be in close physical contact. About 3.4 billion NFC-enabled devices are in use worldwide today, and about 2 billion of these are smartphones. These devices can easily read NFC smart tags, and authentication can be carried out by anyone involved in an authentication and tracking process.

Advanced NFC security tags, like those with a Secure Unique NFC (SUN) authentication message, dynamically change with each tap. This feature can enhance the ability of pharmaceutical companies to combat counterfeits and supply chain fraud. By including a unique ID, tap counter and status value in the NFC message, protected by a cryptographic message authentication code, only authentic tags can generate valid SUN messages, ensuring reliable authentication to prevent mass cloning and safeguarding against unauthorized alterations.

This streamlined authentication process allows all stakeholders to verify product authenticity via a smartphone without the need to download a specialized app. Patients can play an active role in verifying their own medications, fostering a deeper sense of confidence and engagement with their medication supplier. They can access a multitude of other information as well, such as on-demand dosage instructions, expiration dates, potential side effects and digital tools to help manage their condition.

Brand inspectors, pharmacists and consumers can verify product authenticity with their smartphones, allowing them to easily spot counterfeit products. (Source: NXP Semiconductors)

NFC tags can also be assigned to a specific distributor and location, providing traceability throughout the supply chain. Some tags even offer mutual authentication using a cryptographic key, restricting access to authorized readers or servers and preventing unauthorized access or manipulation of tag data.

Electronically tamper-evident NFC conductive seals and labels can be applied to drug packaging during manufacturing to protect against unauthorized product opening. These seals irreversibly write the “once opened” status into the tag memory and transmit the information to the cloud when tapped with a phone, providing a reliable indication of tampering.

Alternatively, capacitive tamper-proof tags detect changes in capacitance, comparing them with pre-configured limits when read with an NFC-enabled smartphone. If the limits are exceeded, the “open” status is added to the SUN message. This type of tamper detection is much more difficult for fraudsters to replicate and is suitable for integration into physical forms, such as bottle closures. Additionally, NFC tags with a capacitive structure can serve as passive sensing devices, detecting changes in conditions like moisture or fill level without needing a battery.

An NFC-enabled era of IoMT advancements

The combination of IoMT and NFC technology holds immense potential for revolutionizing healthcare delivery, enhancing patients’ monitoring and therapy outcomes, and ultimately transforming the way healthcare is managed and accessed globally.

By enabling authentication verification, tracking opening status and facilitating safe handling, NFC-enabled security tags offer pharmaceutical companies a valuable tool to safeguard the supply chain and ensure the safe and efficient delivery of drugs to patients. NFC technology also plays a significant role in assisting patients with chronic conditions, utilizing advanced NFC smart sensing tags and mobile or cloud applications to support medication adherence and provide timely reminders for prescription refills.

NFC solutions can also deliver personalized content and useful services that are tailored to individual needs. This not only adds value to pharmaceutical companies but also enhances the overall experience and outcomes for patients.