11 Healthcare IoT
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tory staff able to support the healthcare system in both urban and rural areas also
increases. One possible solution to this challenge is to increase the prevalence of
telemedicine.
• Rising medical costs – One of the largest challenges in the medical field is the
rapidly rising cost of healthcare. For example, the cost of diabetes care in the
United States jumped to approximately $245 billion in 2016, an increase of 21%
since 2007 [4].
11.2 What Is IoT-Driven Healthcare: Transitioning
from Hospital-Centric to Patient-Centric
Patient-centered care (PCC) is an emerging healthcare model focused on the
individual medical needs of patients, which originally was coined by the
Picker/Commonwealth Program developed by the Picker Institute in 1988. The
Institute of Medicine defined PCC in a 2001 landmark report as [5] “Healthcare
that establishes a partnership among practitioners, patients, and their families (when
appropriate) to ensure that decisions respect patients want, needs, and preferences
and that patients have the education and support they need to make decisions and
participate in their own care.”
While many initiatives have provided evidence of PCC’s success on smaller
scales, the potential of PCC has yet to be realized on a larger scale due to its
conflicts with the existing hospital-centric model. PCC is not meant to eliminate
the need for hospitals or clinics; on the contrary, PCC leverages these institutions
in a shared model of patient care through the utilization of IoT. As discussed in
previous chapters, IoT is a convergence of telecommunication, sensors, actuators,
cloud computing, and Big Data through the Internet to provide specific services.
IoT can be customized to meet the challenges of modern healthcare. Healthcare
system can be categorized into three main areas: i) large healthcare institutions (i.e.,
hospitals), ii) small clinics and pharmacies, and iii) non-clinical environments (i.e.,
patient homes, communities, rural areas lacking healthcare). To understand IoT’s
role in the healthcare field, one must first understand the operations of each area.
Because IoT has the potential to make a specific operation less costly and more
reliable or timely, it would eventually impact operations in other areas, resulting in
a more stable, self-sustaining healthcare ecosystem. Next, we will explore the areas
where IoT technology could take on a key role [1].
• Hospitals: Hospitals are growing to admit and treat an increasing number of
patients. In order to support operations, hospitals constantly rely on advanced
technology. The addition of smart ambulances, integrated with IoT, would
allow in-ambulance diagnosis, enabling medical staff to arrange for appropriate
treatment before the patient even arrives at the hospital. Smart ambulances would
require dependable diagnostic medical sensors, the secure communication link
with the hospital, and intelligent workflow management tools designed to help
517
tory staff able to support the healthcare system in both urban and rural areas also
increases. One possible solution to this challenge is to increase the prevalence of
telemedicine.
• Rising medical costs – One of the largest challenges in the medical field is the
rapidly rising cost of healthcare. For example, the cost of diabetes care in the
United States jumped to approximately $245 billion in 2016, an increase of 21%
since 2007 [4].
11.2 What Is IoT-Driven Healthcare: Transitioning
from Hospital-Centric to Patient-Centric
Patient-centered care (PCC) is an emerging healthcare model focused on the
individual medical needs of patients, which originally was coined by the
Picker/Commonwealth Program developed by the Picker Institute in 1988. The
Institute of Medicine defined PCC in a 2001 landmark report as [5] “Healthcare
that establishes a partnership among practitioners, patients, and their families (when
appropriate) to ensure that decisions respect patients want, needs, and preferences
and that patients have the education and support they need to make decisions and
participate in their own care.”
While many initiatives have provided evidence of PCC’s success on smaller
scales, the potential of PCC has yet to be realized on a larger scale due to its
conflicts with the existing hospital-centric model. PCC is not meant to eliminate
the need for hospitals or clinics; on the contrary, PCC leverages these institutions
in a shared model of patient care through the utilization of IoT. As discussed in
previous chapters, IoT is a convergence of telecommunication, sensors, actuators,
cloud computing, and Big Data through the Internet to provide specific services.
IoT can be customized to meet the challenges of modern healthcare. Healthcare
system can be categorized into three main areas: i) large healthcare institutions (i.e.,
hospitals), ii) small clinics and pharmacies, and iii) non-clinical environments (i.e.,
patient homes, communities, rural areas lacking healthcare). To understand IoT’s
role in the healthcare field, one must first understand the operations of each area.
Because IoT has the potential to make a specific operation less costly and more
reliable or timely, it would eventually impact operations in other areas, resulting in
a more stable, self-sustaining healthcare ecosystem. Next, we will explore the areas
where IoT technology could take on a key role [1].
• Hospitals: Hospitals are growing to admit and treat an increasing number of
patients. In order to support operations, hospitals constantly rely on advanced
technology. The addition of smart ambulances, integrated with IoT, would
allow in-ambulance diagnosis, enabling medical staff to arrange for appropriate
treatment before the patient even arrives at the hospital. Smart ambulances would
require dependable diagnostic medical sensors, the secure communication link
with the hospital, and intelligent workflow management tools designed to help