Application and Challenges of IoT in Healthcare

Abstract

This chapter is devoted to describing the various applications and challenges associated with the Internet of Things (IoT) in the healthcare industry. The Internet of Things (IoT), also known as the internet of everything or the industrial web, could be a new technology paradigm visualized as a worldwide network of machines and devices capable of interacting with one another. The IoT is recognized collectively from the foremost necessary areas of future technology and is gaining huge attention from a large variety of industries. The IoT has the potential to provide a boost to several medical applications such as remote health monitoring, fitness programs, chronic diseases, and senior care. Compliance with treatment and medicine at home and by healthcare suppliers is another necessary potential application. Therefore, numerous medical devices, sensors, and diagnostic and imaging devices are often viewed as smart devices or objects constituting a core a part of the IoT. IoT-based healthcare services are expected to cut back prices, increase the standard of living, and enrich the user’s expertise. From the perspective of suppliers, the IoT has the potential to reduce device time period through remote provision. Additionally, the IoT will properly determine optimum times for replenishing supplies for numerous devices for their smooth and continuous operation. Further, the IoT provides for the efficient programming of restricted resources by ensuring their best use and repair of additional patients. Real-time monitoring via connected devices will save lives in the event of a medical emergency like heart disease, diabetes, bronchial asthma attacks, etc. With time-period monitoring of the condition in place by means of a smart medical device connected to a smartphone app, connected devices will collect medical and other required health data and use the information connection of the smartphone to transfer collected information to a doctor. In the event of an emergency, patients will contact a doctor who is several kilometers away via smart mobile apps. Today the rising price of healthcare continues to dominate business more than ever before. The technological advancements within IoT have not turned out to offset the growing price of medical care; on the contrary, it has become costlier. The complexities of implementing IoT technology and solutions have led several organizations to rethink their business, delivery, and support models. With the appearance of IoT, the affordability of advanced treatment remains out of the reach of a mean- and/or low-income cluster individual. Even in developed economies, the price of good healthcare is often a giant challenge. The primary concern for regulative bodies is the security of private health data, stored and sent through connected devices. Whereas several healthcare organizations confirm that sensitive information is kept in a secure and encrypted manner, they do not have management over the protection and security of the data access points being employed to transmit the data. This creates a big threat that will increase step by step based on the number of recent devices connected to the network. The diversity of devices involved within networks is another hurdle for the successful implementation of IoT in healthcare. Making certain that multiple devices are connected to every other, and multiple users and effectively communicating with one another, could be a drawback. The problem lies within the undeniable fact that the various device makers do not have an agreed-upon set of communication protocols and standards.