In the digital world of today, everything and every device is connected to one another. When these gadgets are connected to one another via the internet, the internet makes them smart devices. The Internet of Things (IoTs) is a vast network of connected objects that store and gather information about their immediate surroundings; as a result, the IoT is viewed as an ecosystem of connected objects. Within the current framework, the Internet of Things is crucial for remotely accessing and controlling digital equipment. This creates a chance for both physical and digital products to improve community, methodology, and commerce. The devices, which can be anything from a Nanochip to a router, communicate with one another using sensors, actuators, and software. The Internet of Things (IoT) has many uses and is expanding swiftly.
Due to their unquestionable benefits, such as reduced cost, less infrastructure, diverse network topologies, less maintenance, etc., almost all monitoring applications in our digital era are completely dependent on wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Almost every aspect of life, including climate change, weather, natural disasters, traffic, forests, healthcare, location, etc., is being monitored by wireless sensors and WSN. The major goals of the sensors in healthcare services are to control, monitor, regulate, warn, and track the patient's activities. Sensors make the healthcare system self-reliant and free from physical intervention by quickly analyzing and diagnosing these activities. As a result, healthcare will advance enormously in real time.
Several IoT-related healthcare applications have already been put forth to make life easier for patients, medical professionals, and administrators. By supplying real-time intensive care regarding the patient's disease, managing medical emergencies, etc., these applications help to improve the current healthcare system. With the use of IoT applications, patients can monitor and send data about their current health conditions, such as blood pressure, insulin levels, cardiac conditions, physical fitness, etc., to a specific medical facility or doctor. Healthcare midpoints or clinics are also heavily utilizing IoT apps, and by determining their location and health condition, they can provide timely services.
IoT applications with real-time integrated devices are being used by the scientific community and business to enhance the lives of regular users. Every institution is using the Internet of Things (IoT) more and more, especially the healthcare system because it provides clinical facilities, patient nursing, cutting-edge searching and monitoring of medical issues, computer-based therapy, and reliable backup facilities for patients, particularly during COVID-19. By continuously determining and obtaining patient information, the smartphone speeds up these processes. By sensors that are installed and used in the wards, equipment, and emergency facilities, regular data gathering and monitoring are made possible. The data is continuously transferred to the neighboring healthcare organization for quick response. Healthcare organizations are giving society a well-organized and reliable tracking system through the IoT.
Similar to this, cloud computing also helps the healthcare system by storing data, distributing facilities, combining data facilities, and issuing important safety alerts. IoT and healthcare system integration has been briefly examined in certain studies. For instance, practically all civilians are currently aware of the coronavirus symptoms. So, in a society, a select group of knowledgeable, connected individuals may be chosen to alert the appropriate authorities about infected individuals. This will lessen the possibility of the virus spreading throughout society. Similar to this, community members may be given access to various smartphone-based programs that would enable quick emergency responses from medical facilities. There is currently no protocol established for a lockdown in a typical case. Due to the inability to access the resources to the patients, the issues get worse. Thus, it will be possible to access the patient from a distance using the IoT.
Identification, communication, and location technologies make up the IoT-related healthcare technologies. Each sensor or node in the healthcare system is given a unique identifier (UID) for identifying purposes so that patient data can be accessed quickly. Also, a patient in a remote place can quickly access the resources of the healthcare system thanks to UID. Global UID and universal UID are additional divisions of UID. The former runs with a decentralized administration and is a component of distributed computing. Global UID is necessary since there is a chance that universal UID's components will alter as a result of frequent IoT technology updates. This will facilitate the global directory's UUID-based search for IoT services.
The network of healthcare gadgets is connected thanks to communication technology. Long-range, medium-range, and short-range communication are further categories for communication technologies. A small area is covered by short-range communications, particularly in body area networks (BANs). For connecting devices over a long distance, such as when using Wi-Fi to connect a server and the BAN's central node, medium range communication is employed. Compared to medium-range communication, like satellite communication, long-range communication is employed over greater distances. RFID, NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, satellite communication, international interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX), and other technologies are used by consumers the most frequently. When using location-based technology, the patient is treated using the resources that are closest to where they are located in the healthcare system. One popular tracking method is the global positioning system (GPS). Locating a COVID-19 patient, ambulance, emergency services, medical facilities, vaccination facilities, etc., involves the use of all communication technologies.
References: