JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of wireless, interrelated and connected digital devices which can collect, send and store data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. The IoT promises many benefits to streamlining and enhancing healthcare delivery to proactively predict health issues, diagnose, treat and monitor patients both in- and out-of-hospital. Around the world, government leaders and decision makers are implementing policies to deliver healthcare services using technology, and more so in response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. It is becoming increasingly important to understand how established and emerging IoT technologies can support health systems to deliver safe and effective care. The intent of this viewpoint article is to provide an overview of current IoT technology in health care, how the IoT devices are improving health service delivery and outline how the IoT can impact and disrupt global healthcare in the next decade. The potential of IoT-based healthcare is expanded upon, to theorize how IoT can improve the accessibility of preventative public health services and transition our current secondary and tertiary healthcare to be a more proactive, continuous and coordinated system. Finally, this article will deal with the potential issues that IoT-based healthcare generates, barriers to market adoption from healthcare professionals and patients alike, confidence and acceptability, privacy and security, interoperability, data storage, control and ownership. Corresponding enablers of IoT in current healthcare will rely on policy support, cybersecurity-focused guidelines, careful strategic planning and transparent policies within healthcare organizations. IoT-based healthcare has great potential to improve the efficiency of the health system and improve population health.