IoT in Healthcare: Applications, Challenges and Future Concerns

The Internet of Things (IoT) is rapidly transforming healthcare, promising personalized care and reducing strain on systems. With the advancement of interconnected systems, it’s possible to imagine devices whispering updates to doctors, pills reminding the patients to take, and remote monitoring for the elderly. In the developing region, the rise of IoT arises from several factors like; limited medical access, rising chronic diseases, expensive healthcare, and the growing demand for telemedicine. To leverage this potential, researchers are working in this area. The approaches have been classified into five categories; sensors gathering data, managing resources efficiently, ensuring smooth communication, building useful applications, and prioritizing security. The thorough analysis shed light on the benefits and limitations of each approach, along with their evaluation techniques, tools, and metrics. Further, Energy management, privacy concerns, fog computing, and resource allocation remain open challenges. To be able to make correct predictions, Machine Learning (ML) algorithms must be woven into the Health-Internet of Things (H-IoT) given that healthcare deals with an enormous volume of data. However, hurdles like interoperability, real-world implementation, scalability, and device mobility need to be addressed for successful integration. The paper explores how IoT stands poised to revolutionize healthcare. By tackling the existing challenges and capitalizing on emerging trends, one can unlock a future where technology empowers personalized care, improves the quality of life, and makes healthcare accessible to all.