Chapter 10

Application of IoT in Healthcare

Pranati Rakshit, Ira Nath and Souvik Pal

Abstract The IoT has broad application in the field of medical care as well as
health care. It has potential to provide ascend to numerous medical services and
applications like remote or distant health monitoring, information tracking,
improved drug usage, device, emergency care, healthcare charting etc. The IoT has
a variety of application area which includes health care. The modern health care is
becoming sophisticated and redesigned by the IoT revolution. Promising techno-
logical, economic, and social prospects promote the revolution in IoT. The IoT is
likely to enable a range of healthcare solutions. In the context of healthcare, service
and application cannot be differentiated objectively and both are interdependent. So,
both IoT services and IoT applications ought to have closer attention. This chapter
addresses various healthcare applications which are IoT-based, along with some
healthcare technologies. Many promising and enabling technologies are nowadays
working for IoT-based healthcare solutions, and thus it is important to put some
lights on those technologies. In this respect, the following analysis focuses on some
core technologies which have the prospective to revolutionize IoT enabled
healthcare services.

Keywords Remote health monitoring Information tracking
Improved drug




usage Device Emergency care Healthcare charting

10.1 Introduction

With the advent of modern mobile devices and increase in different feature in the
mobile technology remote health caring is becoming easier nowadays. People at
home can communicate with doctor or any concerned person of nursing home or

P. Rakshit (&)
I. Nath

CSE Department, JIS College of Engineering, Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal, India
e-mail: pranati.rakshit@jiscollege.ac.in
S. Pal
CSE Department, Brainware University, Barasat, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 263

S.-L. Peng et al. (eds.), Principles of Internet of Things (IoT)
Ecosystem: Insight Paradigm, Intelligent Systems Reference Library 174,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33596-0_10
264 P. Rakshit et al.

hospital very easily with the help of IoT (Internet of Things) and mobile tech-
nologies. These technologies make it simple to control the sick’s fitness situation by
exchanging the data of health to physicians, nurses and specialists. If any guardian
or patient party is busy with other job and cannot go to the nursing home or hospital
to get the information of the patient, then he also gets the patient’s information
remotely.
As nowadays sensor has been made as miniaturized, it can be used in many areas
which can improve the quality of human life. So, it can be easily used in places
which are related to health care. Basically, for a developing country the heath care
services cost seems to be expensive sometimes. Extra money is also needed to take
the information about the patients by the relatives. The knowledge of IoT have been
rapidly utilized to interrelate the existing medical resources and supply smart,
dependable, and actual healthcare facilities to the sick persons. IoT based health
controlling systems can be advantageous to improve the patient’s lifestyle.
The IoT based health monitoring systems generally gather the information for
sensor data through Arduino microcontroller and transmit it to the cloud where it is
developed and evaluated for distant sighting. Feedback achievements depended on
the scrutinized information can be directed to the physicians or custodian through
Email and/or alerts through SMS in the situation of any crises.

10.2 IoT in Healthcare—Benefits and Challenges

The healthcare industry is in a situation of immense desolation. Healthcare facili-

ties are expensive and the numbers of chronic diseases are growing day by day. In
this situation the initial healthcare will not be reachable to most of the people of the
society and will be suffered from chronic diseases for a long duration. So, the only
solution of the above-mentioned problem is the construction and growth of IoT
app. The technology can not prevent the inhabitants from becoming old enough or
eliminate chronic diseases instantly. But the availability of healthcare remedies will
be in our pocket always.
Medical diagnosis requires a huge amount of money to pay for the hospital.
Technology can transfer the practices of regular medical diagnosis from a hospital
(hospital-oriented) to the patient’s home (home-oriented). The actual analysis will
diminish the necessity of taken admission at hospital frequently.
An innovative and current technology which is familiar as the IoT has a
widespread application in various expanses, with healthcare. The whole utilization
of this technology in healthcare zone is a joint expectation as it permits medical
centers to work more proficiently on sick persons to get treatment satisfactorily.
With the utilization of this technology-oriented healthcare technique, there are
unequal advantages which could progress the grade and effectiveness of medical
care and accordingly upgrade the physical fitness of the victims.
10 Application of IoT in Healthcare 265

10.2.1 Benefits

(a) Simultaneous reporting and monitoring

Actual controlling through attached resources can save lives at the time of a medical
emergency like heart failure, diabetes, asthma attacks, etc. A smart medical
resources attached to a smart phone app is always ready to control any arising
situation. The attached resources can gather medical and additional necessary health
information connected to the smart phone to deliver gathered data to a doctor.
Midpoint of Associated Health Strategies survey to focus that a 50% discount
is there in 30-day readmission charge for distant sick person suffering from heart
failure.
The IoT resources gather and transmit health data: blood pressure, oxygen and blood
sugar levels, weight, and ECGs. These huge amount of data are accumulated in the
cloud and can be exchanged with a third party, who might be a doctor, your insurance
company, a participating health firm or an external physician, to permit them to see at
the gathered information without considering their location, time, or resources.
(b) End-to-end connectivity and affordability
IoT can systematize treatment of sick person with the support of healthcare flexi-
bility result and other innovative technologies, and healthcare services for new
generations. IoT allows exchange of data, machine-to-machine transmission,
sharing of data, and motion of information that creates healthcare facility operative.
Connectivity protocols: Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi, Z-wave, Zig-Bee, and other recent
protocols, healthcare employees can alter the way they identify diseases in sick
persons and can also invent innovative ways for treatment and caring.
Subsequently, technology-driven setup reduces the expenditure by lessening the
needless appointments, utilizing improved class devices and increasing the allot-
ment and lessens the expenditure, by reducing needless appointments, using
improved class devices, and enhancing the allotment and scheduling.
(c) Data assortment and analysis
A huge quantity of information that a healthcare machine transmits during a small
interval for actual implementation, is complex to keep and control, if the entree to
cloud is inaccessible. Even for healthcare transmitters to accumulate information
generating from more than one resource and evaluate it physically is a complicated
task.
IoT resources can gather reports and evaluate the information at present and
reduce the necessity to gather the original information. These all can occur through
cloud with the supplier only achieving entree to ultimate descriptions with diagrams
and charts.
Moreover, IoT healthcare activities permit private and govt. sectors to achieve
indispensable healthcare methodical and information-oriented visions which speeds
up taking decisions and is fewer susceptible to faults.
266 P. Rakshit et al.

(d) Tracking and alerts

On-time warning is crucial in the occasion of life-fatal situations. IoT permits
resources to accumulate vigorous data and transmit that data to physicians for
actual follow up instantly, while reducing announcements to mankind about crucial
areas via mobile apps and other attached resources.
Statements and warnings provide a bold decision about a situation of a sick
person without thinking about place and time. It also assists to create an experi-
enced opinion and provide proper treatment and caring instantly.
So, IoT empowers actual warning, tracking, and controlling, which allows real
caring, better correctness, involvement by physicians and improve entire caring and
treatment of sick persons for providing positive outcomes.
(e) Remote medical assistance
In the occasion of an emergency condition, sick persons can communicate with a
physician who is located far away with a smart mobile app. The doctors can
instantly examine the sick persons and recognize the illnesses immediately for
further treatment with motion resolutions in healthcare.
Also, various healthcare distributions combine those which are predicting to
construct devices that can allot medicines based upon the sufferer’s prescription and
the information depends upon the diseases exist via linked machines.
IoT will be more efficient in the field of the sick person’s care in hospital. This
will reduce the expenditure of the mankind during the treatment.

10.2.2 Challenges

(a) Data safety and confidentiality

The information related with safety and confidentiality is one of the most important
issue that IoT has. IoT resources seize and communicate information in actual-time.
However, most of the IoT resources have deficiency of information protocols and
standards.
Furthermore, there is an important uncertainty regarding information possession
and guideline. All these issues create the information extremely vulnerable to
hackers who can cope with the organization and negotiation for Personal Health
Information (PHI) of both sick persons and physicians.
Hackers can abuse victim’s information to generate false IDs to purchase
medicines and clinical apparatus which they can retail in future. Cybercriminals can
also submit for a fake Insurance claim in sick person’s name.
(b) Integration: multiple devices and protocols
Accumulation of various resources creates disruption in the execution of IoT in the
healthcare field. The purpose for this burden is that reproducer of resources hasn’t
achieved an agreement considering transmission protocols and standard.
10 Application of IoT in Healthcare 267

So, even if the dissimilarity of resources is linked; the alteration in their trans-
mission protocol confuses and delays the method of information accumulation. This
non-uniformity of the attached resource’s protocols reduces the entire method and
diminishes the possibility of adaptability of IoT in healthcare.
(c) Data overload and accuracy
Accumulation of information is problematic for the utilization of various trans-
mission protocols and standards. However, IoT resources keep a huge amount of
information. The information gathered by IoT resources are used to achieve vig-
orous visions.
However, the ton of information is so marvelous that analyzing visions from it
are appearing tremendously problematic for physicians which, finally influences
upon the superiority of creating determination. Moreover, this anxiety is growing as
more resources are attached which accumulate a huge amount of information.
(d) Cost
IoT has not created the healthcare facilities inexpensive to the ordinary mankind so
far. The thriving in the Healthcare expenditures is a symbol of anxiety for everyone
particularly the progressed territories.
The condition is such that it provides growth to “Medical Tourism” in which
sick persons with crucial situations acquire healthcare services of the progressing
countries which reduces prices. IoT in healthcare as an idea is an engrossing and
pledging concept.
However, it hasn’t resolved the expenditure problems as of now. To fruitful
accomplishment of optimized IoT, the stakeholders must create its expenditure
effective, otherwise it will be inaccessible to everybody excluding the rich people.

10.3 Different Application Areas of IoT in Healthcare

10.3.1 Dropping Emergency Room Waiting Time

Waiting in the emergency room is one of the boring things in the healthcare system.
Apart from the different medical demands and expenditure, big amount of time are
wasted for emergency room visits. With the help of IoT some hospital or medical
organization reduces this waiting time. One example which can be shared is that
50% of waiting time of patients who needs urgent care in emergency room is
slashed down at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City. It’s made possible
with their partnership with GE Healthcare and one IoT-driven software, which
is known as AutoBed that tracks occupancy among 1200 units and factors in 15
different metrics to assess the needs of individual patients.
It’s a highly efficient system that highlights the more inventive and electrifying
uses of the IoT.
268 P. Rakshit et al.

10.3.2 Telehealth

With the advent of telehealth or remote health monitoring system, sometimes

patients don’t have to go to an emergency room or even hospital. It minimizes costs
and eliminates the visitation expenditure. By discarding the travel which is some-
times very inconvenient, it helps the patients to improve their living quality.
If mobility is the limitation for a patient or he is dependent on public transport,
simply telehealth can make a lot of difference.

10.3.3 Ensuring the Risk Management of Critical Hardware

As our society is moving very fast with new technologies, modern hospitals need
different software and hardware which are capable to perform with next generation’s
demands. Some of these IOT driven solution even helped to save or prolong human
life. Like all electronic devices, this equipment is also prone to frequent risks—from
power outages to system failures—that could be a matter of life or death. But different
IoT driven solution are being invented to solve this type of problem. For example,
Philips has designed a solution, called e-Alert which aims to solve that problem.
Instead of waiting for a device to fail, Philips’ new system takes a proactive
approach by virtually monitoring medical hardware and alerting hospital staff
members if there’s a problem.

10.3.4 Information Tracking

Safety and security are the extreme concern of each healthcare organization—or at
least it should be. So it’s very important to track assets—staff members, patients and
hardware—throughout the building or campus. It is very hard to maintain the
maximum amount of security without the ability to track the resource.
In smaller organization this task can be easily achieved. But if there are multiple
structures and campuses with large number of patients as well as staff members then
it is a matter of concern.
For asset tracking many organizations are moving towards the IoT based and
real-time location systems. It is a cutting-edge technology which is very effective
and inexpensive.

10.3.5 Improved Drug Usage

One of the most exciting breakthroughs regarding healthcare and IoT comes in new
forms of prescription for medication.
10 Application of IoT in Healthcare 269

It uses pills which contains microscopic sensors that are of the size of a grain of
rice, can send a signal to an external device, usually a patch worn on the body, to
ensure proper dosage and usage.

10.3.6 Devices

Devices are not beyond the good fortune of IoT. They normally offer fewer benefits
and qualities that an IoT system offers. But current devices are improving in their
power, precision, and availability. IoT has a great potential to unlock existing
technology, and lead us towards better healthcare and medical device solutions.

10.3.6.1 Hearables

New-age hearing aids are called hearables with which people who suffered from
audible range loss can interact with the world in a better way than before. It has
completely transformed the interaction methods. Nowadays, hearables are com-
patible with Bluetooth which syncs your smart phone with it. Real-world sounds
can be filtered, equalized and added with layered features.

10.3.6.2 Ingestible Sensors

These sensors are also a fortunate thing for a diabetic patient as it would help in
curbing symptoms and provide with an early warning for diseases. Proteus Digital
Health is one such example.

10.3.6.3 Moodables

Moodables are most interesting devices which can enhance our mood. This mood
enhancing devices can help in improving our mood throughout the day. It may
sound like science fiction, but it’s not far from reality.

10.3.6.4 Drones

Computer vision technology along with AI has given rise to drone technology
which aims to mimic visual perception and hence decision making based on it.
Drones like Skydio use computer vision technology to detect obstacles and to
navigate around them. This technology can also be used for visually impaired
people to navigate efficiently.
270 P. Rakshit et al.

10.3.7 Healthcare Charting

Patient charting is one of the important works of doctor which takes a lot of time.
IoT devices can reduce this charting time by discarding manual work which a
doctor has to do. It is powered by voice commands and captures the patient’s data.
It makes the patient’s data readily accessible for review. It saves around 15 h per
week of doctor’s job. One such a device is Audemix.

10.3.8 Emergency Care

Limited resources are one of the reasons for having problem in the emergency
support services. Sometimes, this is also disconnected from the base facility. The
advanced automation and analytics of IoT cater to this problem in the healthcare
sector. From a far distance places or rather miles away an emergent situation in
healthcare can be analyzed. The service providers get hold of access to the patient’s
profiles way before their arrival and that is the reason they can deliver indispensable
care to the patients on right time. In this way, associated losses are reduced, and
emergency health care is improved.

10.4 Related Technologies

10.4.1 Role of IoT and Cloud in Healthcare

Internet of Things is the set of resources that are attached to the internet to
accomplish the service that help our initial necessities, finances, fitness and atmo-
sphere [1–4]. Cloud computing is an epitome, in which dynamical, accessible and
virtualized supplies are provided as assistances via internet. Cloud computing in
addition with the IoT will improve the ability to perform well and capacity to store
highest resources. So, cloud computing is utilized as a forward-facing terminal to
entree IoT. The healthcare industry is growing quickly which enables mankind to
reside better living by utilizing associated and linked resources such as tablets,
wearables and hand-held resources. IoT is a fast-growing skill that bonds the
interoperation among various provocations to totally alteration of the technique in
which healthcare will be transmitted, providing better results, improving effec-
tiveness and creating healthcare inexpensive. IoT provides mankind essential and
fundamental technology to supply improved outcomes. The healthcare industry is
rapidly growing in the direction of cheap, reachable and standard health services.
All private and govt. sectors are endeavoring scarcely to construct transmission
affinity among the wide range of devices that have handled separately. IoT and
adopt IoT driven methods have the capability to model this type of healthcare,
10 Application of IoT in Healthcare 271

which depends upon active involvement of sick persons. This will thereafter
enhance the healthcare which is being supplied. IoT is here to reside, and will
endure to grow quick, conducting to effective and improved alterations for all
stakeholders in the area of healthcare. The innovative ideas of the IoT are rapidly
finding out its path to solve problems in our present life, pointing out to improve the
excellence of livings by attaching with various smart devices, technologies, and
resources. Moreover, the IoT would permit for the computerization of the whole
surrounding with us. Presently scientists have searched out that there is a possible
implementation of IoT to the healthcare trade. We can use a prototype that operates
upon the difficulties of sick persons using essential gathering of collected infor-
mation by facilitating the physicians to identify and notice the matters related with
sick persons.

10.4.2 Role of IoT and Grid Computing in Healthcare

A novel context-conscious information and sufferer-oriented technique for global

healthcare is essential to supply individual healthcare treatments to the old and the
disabled persons. However, this innovative technique needs real-time in the area of
development and gather vigorous symbols utilizing intrinsically through compli-
cated biological replicas and study of the processed data (resultant biological
parameters) underneath framework (e.g., site, ambient conditions, present physical
condition) to bring out proficiency about the fitness disorder of victims. As the
executional abilities for biomedical sensor nodes are inadequate to route these
models, a new device providing outline that attaches the computing abilities of
under-used electronic resources in the locality for arrangement of a mobile com-
puting grid. The outline of the model is conveyed with self-optimization and
self-healing abilities for effectiveness and steadiness beneath lack of certainty etc.
The suggested model based on mobile grid management works as a clue permitting
skill for IoT based future-generation global healthcare outcomes.

10.4.3 Role of IoT and Big Data in Healthcare

The innovative view points for fitness care controlling is given rise to the expansion
of IoT and Big data, and the abundant quality of small bio sensors [5]. Several
challenges have yet to be presented to make a reliable and stretchy scheme for
health care controlling. IoT based health care controlling scheme consist of
“Internet of health sensor things”. These belongings generate a large volume of
information that could not be monitored by the doctors. The vital anxiety of a
doctor is that they require to create crucial choices about their sick’s problems
related with diseases from these large amount of health data. He/she has to separate
the data about one specific sick person from the large amount of health care data
272 P. Rakshit et al.

collected from the gigantic count of sick persons. Intel Galileo Gen 2 is performing
as IoT representative and is utilized to organize the data about sick person’s health
into the Cloud. The Cloud could handle the growing amount of health information,
ingeniously exchange the data through the healthcare models and supply capability
for Big data analytics. The warning of data related with bad health of a sick person
at proper time is a crucial effort in Big data which is very important. The Big health
sensor are evaluated using the Hadoop model.
Ambient Intelligence with IoT systems is a developing research area and there is
normally a shortage to realize the appropriate methods to take care in this area. The
achievement of IoT systems relays on the effective combination of its resources,
sensors and information management methods. Ambient Intelligence (AmI) is an
innovative method in information technology focused at permitting mankind’s
abilities using the modern digital techniques those are adjustable and responsive to
necessities, practices, motions, and feelings of mankind. This innovative idea of
every day’s need will empower us with new mankind-machine interactions char-
acterized by prevalent, unremarkable and preventive transmissions. Such new
interaction models create ambient intelligence technology an appropriate applicant
for constructing different real-life explanations, together with the area of health care
technology. We deliberate the importance of AmI technology in the health care
area, with the aim to supply the researchers with the required circumstantial. We
evaluate the setup and techniques needed for receiving the idea of ambient intel-
ligence, such as smart surroundings and costumery pharmaceutical resources. We
review the advanced techniques based on AI (Artificial Intelligence) utilized for
constructing AmI scheme in the health care area with different studying methods
(for studying from customer communication), cognitive methods (for thinking and
understanding about customers’ achievements and wishes) and drafting methods
(for designing operations and communications). We deliberate how AmI techniques
may help mankind who are suffering from different physical or mental inabilities or
long-lasting sickness.

10.4.4 Role of Augmented Reality and IoT in Healthcare

Augmented reality (AR) improves your opinion to the real world by covering and
showing digital content [6, 7]. Except marketing and entertaining objectives, AR is
also achieving importance in the healthcare area. This growing technology is
assisting this field in acquiring innovative schemes that returns back to the
invention to existing health care systems, nourishment of the sick persons, appa-
ratus conservation and helping doctors in their training and exercise daily.
Google Glass is one of the widespread platforms in supplying AR solutions in
healthcare. Although it fails miserably in the mainstream market, this wearable
technology is searching customers in healthcare. There are many companies whose
objectives are to supply innovative AR solutions to healthcare.
10 Application of IoT in Healthcare 273

(a) Advantages of AR in Healthcare

i. How AR Benefits Patients?
Augmented reality supports to enhance the quality of treatment of an admitted sick
person. It supplies an improved way to the sick persons to define their symptoms. AR
apps are accessible to teach the sufferer and the household members of the victims
about the effect of specific illnesses for supplying superior treatment and anticipation.
This data supports the sick persons in creating proper healthcare resolutions.
ii. How AR Benefits Doctors?
Augmented reality accomplishes as a visualization and training tool for physicians.
Accuracy is very vital when performing complex surgeries. The correctness of this
highly new and novel technology will support the surgeons to be more effective at
surgeries. AR permits the few skilled surgeons to search for the distant supervision
and control of veteran surgeons while executing complex methods. This technology
provides the physician’s admission to sufferer’s data quickly and in real time thereby
empowering the capability of the physicians to detect and start treatment quickly.
iii. Locating Veins Using AR
Augmented reality supports to generate easy methods such as pulling blood.
A handheld scanner called AccuVein is now in utilize that usage augmented
authenticity to irradiate the veins on a victim’s skin thereby helping nurses in
tracing the veins. This capability is very helpful for cosmetic surgeries too.
iv. Support Blind People Navigate
Augmented reality glasses are obtainable that provides the blind to be conscious of
their surrounds. Depth sensors and the software in these smart glasses supports to
highpoint the frameworks and make simpler the characteristics of adjacent mankind
and entities.
v. Helps People in the Autism Spectrum
Wearable technology which characters AR environment permit the children and
grownups in autism spectrum to explain themselves about serious life skills.
vi. Training with AR
Medical students are required to have a moral realizing of human anatomy, sickness
pathology and surgical methods along with the real time implications. AR creates
medical training more collaborative. Few AR apps are existing which when posi-
tioned over an exact page in the book will condense a 3-D illustration of the 2-D
image. This way the students can read a specific subject thoroughly. AR can be
used in many fields in this area that can give advantage in all related with it. Most of
the professionals in the area of healthcare are unconscious of this innovative
technology too. Consciousness has to be generated among them for AR and more
novel innovations are required in this area so that they can accept this technology in
their daily exercise.
274 P. Rakshit et al.

10.5 Future of IoT in Healthcare

Just a few years ago, medical practitioners were closely watching the development
of IoT and thinking to make it a part of their future. Today, it’s not only a reality,
but also making life easier for healthcare providers and patients also.
Now it is the most important question that how far we have come with IoT and
where will IoT go in future? The increasing development in AI and interface of AI
and IoT [8–16] is likely to acquire more intelligent IoT devices which can have the
ability to perform activities autonomously in the healthcare sector. This could
include medical devices that react to triggers or recognize the patient and interact
with them based on their treatment plan. And also the use of autonomous drones to
deliver drugs and other facilities in need are the near future of IOT in healthcare. It
is almost in use but not in full bloom.
Artificial intelligence is the most vital area which can be explored more and
more in this field. Healthcare robots are being used today but it will be used more in
near future than today. To be futuristic, It may seem that, there will be a 50%
increase in the use of robots by 2020. In fact, these robots perform simple, auto-
mated tasks such as delivering medications, food and lab results. Internet of medical
things (IoMT) devices can also directly feed data into larger AI-driven healthcare
analytics systems. These systems can diagnose heart disease, and detect blood
infections and even certain types of cancer. These IoMT devices are being more
improved and will be able to diagnose more diseases in future.
Next-generation IoT devices will bring intelligent services as part of their
offering, allowing for real-time data which enables some actions to be executed by
the device if necessary, and then send back data to the patient and their clinical
teams.
Future Uses of IoT in Healthcare
• Remote Monitoring
Real time medical card reader devices and customized software will read data of
patients and help doctors to conduct a better analysis of patient’s health.
• Wearables
Several types of gadgets are obtainable in the market that can constantly monitor
daily activities of the patients and store the data. These devices notify patients
regarding their physical activities. They can also assist in preventing emergency, as
patient’s information would be sent to the doctor without delay.
• Asset Monitoring
IoT can help in providing functions and controllers to various essential equipments
in the hospital. As the equipments are vital while treatment, any defect in them can
be fatal. Connecting these devices will enable the staff to monitor their working
easily. It can reduce the possibility of inappropriate treatment by figuring out the
defects in the devices in real time.
10 Application of IoT in Healthcare 275

Future Benefits of IoT in Healthcare

• Better Supervision and Reporting
Emergencies of patients of asthma attacks, heart failures like diseases can be saved
by real-time supervision of IoT devices. The associated device can accumulate
critical data of patient’s health and convey it to the physician in real time. A survey
conducted by Centre for Connected Health policy suggests that due to remote
supervision, re-admission rate of patients was reduced by 50%.
• End-to-End Connectivity
The workflow of patient care can be automated by IoT with the help of healthcare
mobility solutions. It enables interoperability, machine-to-machine communication,
data movement and information exchange while making healthcare delivery more
productive. Different connectivity protocols in the devices allow hospital personnel
to spot early signs of illness in the patients.
• Data Analysis
IoT devices can gather report and assess the extensive data collected in short time,
reducing the need of its storage. This helps healthcare providers in focusing on
relevant data and speed up the decision-making process of the physician.
• Alerts and Tracking
Timely alerts can be crucial in case of life-threatening circumstances. IoT allows
medical devices to gather essential data and transfer it to doctors in real time. The
reports provide perfect opinion on the patient’s condition, irrespective of location or
time.
• Lower Costs
The connected devices and wearables will allow patients to connect with doctors
from their homes. The regular visit for different tests and checkups will be mini-
mized. This will save cost and time of patients on a daily basis.
• Medication Management
Time of medication can be tracked and can be remembered by the patients with the
help of smart wireless pill bottles. The IoT enabled medication management pro-
cesses will also provide doctors with analytics for offering better care to the
patients.
Future Challenges of IoT in Healthcare
The challenges are also increasing with the increase of the IoT market in healthcare.
Storing mountains of data collected by many devices will front a challenge to the
healthcare organization. As this data will also be exchanged amongst other devices,
the security issues will also rise. Unauthorized access to connected devices can
cause harm to the patient’s safety. Thus, proper authentication and authoriza-
tion will be necessary to achieve success with IoT.
276 P. Rakshit et al.

Applications that IoT has to offer are not fully developed yet. The widespread of
connected devices in the healthcare structure is also incomplete. IoT and healthcare
together will radically change the service offerings in the hospitals. The digital-
ization in healthcare will be brought by the IoT.

10.6 Conclusion

IoT changes the approach of the facilities which are designed and delivered to the
healthcare industry. These technologies improve the product, causing a larger effect
by bringing together minor changes. Rather than just creating tools, IoT tries and
fills gaps between the way we deliver healthcare and the equipment by creating a
system.
IoT tools and devices are revolutionizing medical care. Notably, remote patient
monitoring devices enable innovative new ways of tracking a patient’s health.
Devices like glucose monitors, pulse oximeters and blood pressure monitors are
fueling growth expected to reach a compound annual growth rate of 17%. Cloud
computing and virtual infrastructure also provide caregivers real-time information
and enable evidence-based treatment.
In this chapter benefit, challenges, technologies, different healthcare applications
and future of IoT are covered and how IoT is beneficial for healthcare is explored.

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