Microsoft made Windows 10 IoT Core available with less fanfare than the broader OS, but it's worth a quick look at what it means for the Internet of Things and medical devices in particular.
Windows 10 IoT Core is geared specifically toward developers writing apps for small devices – some of which will, while others won't, have screens.
Healthcare is peppered with products that run any number of embedded operating systems, including ECG, ultrasound, X-Ray, CT and MRI machines, to the ever-expanding fleet of wearables and fitness trackers, not to mention robotics.
[Related: What to now know about Windows 10.]
New to Windows 10 IoT Core is support for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. While they may seem obvious enough, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will be integral to the company's stated goal of having "One Windows" that enables customers to sync apps and data across any device running an iteration of Windows 10 and its ambitious goal of the software running in more than 1 billion machines within the next few years. The next key piece: Windows 10 Mobile, is due later this year.
With the Windows 10 for desktops, notebooks and tablets release, Microsoft added a number of features for healthcare, including tools that enable clinicians to view an EMR alongside a home health app, business intelligence functions for visualizing quality of care data, and a so-called Power Map for combining a healthcare provider's information with population health statistics.
It's not just the simple matter of making all the appropriate versions of Windows 10 available, of course. PC, laptop, smartphone and medical device manufacturers need to test, install and deploy them. And that is likely to take a while.
This article originally appeared on mHealth News sister site Healthcare IT News.
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