How Can the Internet of Things Help to Overcome Current Healthcare Challenges

Abstract

Healthcare systems are nowadays facing several challenges starting from an ageing population to a growing demand for more advanced and better healthcare outcomes. This leads to an increase of healthcare costs as well as a need for change in healthcare systems in terms of better and more efficient outcomes. Our paper aims to bring some preliminary evidence that the Internet of Things can improve the quality of healthcare and/or reduce the cost of it. In order to achieve our objective we have reviewed five recent Internet of Things solutions, from monitoring cardiac arrhythmia and congestion in heart failure, to management of diabetes and obesity prevention. Our findings show that the Internet of Things has a significant potential to contribute to the overall decrease of healthcare costs while increasing the health outcomes if it satisfies two conditions, namely if it enables the system management of a particular disease and the mindset and behavioural changes of the stakeholders in the system.