Ekalusugan: An Intelligent health observation system using Internet of Things

Abstract

- In today's technological landscape, the Internet of Things (IoT) has ushered in a multitude of applications, with wearable technology and smart healthcare standing out as paramount. Amidst this backdrop, we present "eKalusugan," an innovative intelligent health monitoring system harnessed by IoT. Traditional health observation systems often fall short in catering to the needs of sick patients, a concern this study addresses through an insightful exploration of challenges and innovative remedies. Our work also delves into the evaluation of a prototype observation system, gauging user acceptance based on its novel features. Employing a mixed-methods approach, encompassing both a comprehensive questionnaire and in-depth interviews, we engaged five (5) medical experts, thirty (30) healthcare providers, and eighty (80) patients from diverse locales. This collaborative effort yielded invaluable insights into the existing gaps, such as inadequate sickness monitoring, role ambiguity, and the struggle to maintain comprehensive medical histories under the conventional model. To surmount these limitations, our proposed solution boasts two pivotal facets. First, we advocate for leveraging IoT's capabilities to streamline the creation of an intelligent health observation system. Second, we emphasize the necessity of a user-centric approach, rendering the system significantly more intuitive for medical professionals and patients alike, in stark contrast to conventional methods. Our findings underscore the potency of the eKalusugan system, with respondents lauding its functionality (rated 4.62), reliability (rated 4.52), usability (rated 4.68), and performance (rated 4.70) as either excellent or good (with an average rating of 4.59). Encouragingly, our study indicates that the envisaged system could potentially gain traction at the behest of governmental health agencies, paving the way for its integration in monitoring the well-being of sick individuals. In this era where the confluence of IoT and healthcare beckons transformative progress, eKalusugan shines as a testament to the possibilities that emerge when cutting-edge technology aligns with human well-being