236
Internet of Things (IoT)
12.1 Introduction
As a society, we have come a long way since the World Wars and pre-independent India,
when food for survival was itself a question. Millions died due to famine and lack of food.
Mortality due to hunger has come down, except in a few countries. Human lifespan has
increased by 30 years in the last century. One of the best inventions made by man after
fire and wheel is TOILET. Our modern toilet dates back not more than 250 years. In 1775
Alexander Cummings invented the S-trap, which is still in use. Toilet discovery needs
highlighting because it helped to reduce infection level in the community, even before
antibiotics were discovered.
12.1.1 Occurrence of Diseases and Scope of the Internet of Things
Environment: There is no simple theory to explain how diseases occur; for our purposes
the following paradigm is more than adequate. Interaction between the host (man), agent
(living and nonliving), and the environment is called the epidemiological triad. Figure 12.1
shows this truth (Krieger 2001).
To raise a plant, seed and mud alone are not sufficient. Somebody has to water it. Similarly
host–agent interaction alone will not cause disease. Facilitating environment is crucial. As
a corollary it is just not enough to deal with host and agent alone to cure illness, but the
environmental contribution has also to be corrected, which is precisely not done by physicians. To deal with environment, intersectoral coordination, by various segments of the society is urgently required. Without the intervention on the environmental factor, diseases
are bound to persist leading to various conditions like drug resistance, increased mortality
from diseases like tuberculosis, etc. Such events can be prevented by primary health care,
which has three pillars, viz. equity, community participation, and intersectoral coordination. Internet of things (IoT) is one such intersectoral coordination.
12.2.9 The 3I ..................................................................................................................... 245
12.2.10 Bringing Delight to All ....................................................................................... 246
12.2.11 Need for Electronic Health Record .................................................................. 247
12.3 Problems in Health Information System in the Country ............................................. 247
12.3.1 Registration ........................................................................................................... 248
12.3.2 Waiting Hall ......................................................................................................... 248
12.3.3 Pharmacy .............................................................................................................. 249
12.3.4 Laboratory ............................................................................................................. 251
12.4 Problems with Traditional EHR Software...................................................................... 251
12.4.1 INDIVO Open Source EHR ................................................................................ 252
12.4.2 HELYXON ® ’s Vision for an EHR Targeted to Physicians of Indian Market ......252
12.4.2.1 Technical Approach .............................................................................. 252
12.4.2.2 Following Events Handled by HELYXON ® EHR System ................ 252
12.4.3 Role of Paramedical Workers in Various Health Programs........................... 257
12.5 EHRs: Challenges and Solution to the Challenges ....................................................... 258
12.5.1 Problems Faced with Wearable Devices in Health Care ................................ 261
12.6 Best Practices for Usage of EHRs ..................................................................................... 261
12.7 Conclusions and Future Works ....................................................................................... 261
References ..................................................................................................................................... 262
Internet of Things (IoT)
12.1 Introduction
As a society, we have come a long way since the World Wars and pre-independent India,
when food for survival was itself a question. Millions died due to famine and lack of food.
Mortality due to hunger has come down, except in a few countries. Human lifespan has
increased by 30 years in the last century. One of the best inventions made by man after
fire and wheel is TOILET. Our modern toilet dates back not more than 250 years. In 1775
Alexander Cummings invented the S-trap, which is still in use. Toilet discovery needs
highlighting because it helped to reduce infection level in the community, even before
antibiotics were discovered.
12.1.1 Occurrence of Diseases and Scope of the Internet of Things
Environment: There is no simple theory to explain how diseases occur; for our purposes
the following paradigm is more than adequate. Interaction between the host (man), agent
(living and nonliving), and the environment is called the epidemiological triad. Figure 12.1
shows this truth (Krieger 2001).
To raise a plant, seed and mud alone are not sufficient. Somebody has to water it. Similarly
host–agent interaction alone will not cause disease. Facilitating environment is crucial. As
a corollary it is just not enough to deal with host and agent alone to cure illness, but the
environmental contribution has also to be corrected, which is precisely not done by physicians. To deal with environment, intersectoral coordination, by various segments of the society is urgently required. Without the intervention on the environmental factor, diseases
are bound to persist leading to various conditions like drug resistance, increased mortality
from diseases like tuberculosis, etc. Such events can be prevented by primary health care,
which has three pillars, viz. equity, community participation, and intersectoral coordination. Internet of things (IoT) is one such intersectoral coordination.
12.2.9 The 3I ..................................................................................................................... 245
12.2.10 Bringing Delight to All ....................................................................................... 246
12.2.11 Need for Electronic Health Record .................................................................. 247
12.3 Problems in Health Information System in the Country ............................................. 247
12.3.1 Registration ........................................................................................................... 248
12.3.2 Waiting Hall ......................................................................................................... 248
12.3.3 Pharmacy .............................................................................................................. 249
12.3.4 Laboratory ............................................................................................................. 251
12.4 Problems with Traditional EHR Software...................................................................... 251
12.4.1 INDIVO Open Source EHR ................................................................................ 252
12.4.2 HELYXON ® ’s Vision for an EHR Targeted to Physicians of Indian Market ......252
12.4.2.1 Technical Approach .............................................................................. 252
12.4.2.2 Following Events Handled by HELYXON ® EHR System ................ 252
12.4.3 Role of Paramedical Workers in Various Health Programs........................... 257
12.5 EHRs: Challenges and Solution to the Challenges ....................................................... 258
12.5.1 Problems Faced with Wearable Devices in Health Care ................................ 261
12.6 Best Practices for Usage of EHRs ..................................................................................... 261
12.7 Conclusions and Future Works ....................................................................................... 261
References ..................................................................................................................................... 262