Internet of Things (IoT) Applications in Hospitals: A Systematic Review

Fatemeh Ameri; Azam Sabahi; Negar Ranjbar; Seyed Reza Hoseini; Reyhaneh Khosrojerdi; Erfan Rajabi; Meisam Dastani

doi:10.18502/htaa.v5i4.10170

Fatemeh Ameri Ferdows school of Paramedical and Health, Birjand University of Medical Science, Birjand, Iran.
Azam Sabahi Department of Health Information Technology, Ferdows School of Health and Allied Medical Sciences, Birjand University of Medical Sciences, Birjand, Iran
Negar Ranjbar Ferdows school of Paramedical and Health, Birjand University of Medical Science, Birjand, Iran.
Seyed Reza Hoseini Ferdows school of Paramedical and Health, Birjand University of Medical Science, Birjand, Iran.
Reyhaneh Khosrojerdi Ferdows school of Paramedical and Health, Birjand University of Medical Science, Birjand, Iran.
Erfan Rajabi Ferdows school of Paramedical and Health, Birjand University of Medical Science, Birjand, Iran.
Meisam Dastani Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/htaa.v5i4.10170

Keywords: IoT; Hospital; Healthcare

Abstract

Context: The internet of things (IoT) is a system of wireless, interconnected and digital devices that can collect and store data in a network without needing to establish human-to-human or human-to-computer interactions. Objectives: Due to the importance of adopting up-to-date technologies in hospitals and health centers, this systematic review aimed to explore all aspects of the IoT applicable in hospitals.

Methods: The present study was a systematic review conducted in 4 August 2021 according to PRISMA guidelines. The internet searches were performed to access three scientific databases of PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science using a combination of keywords, such as the IoT and hospital. Finally, the required data were extracted from original research articles investigating the IoT application in hospitals and were entered into EndNote X8 software. Quality assessment of the studies was carried out by two researchers independently.

Results: A total of 18 articles were included in the study. The application of IoT had been introduced by 13 articles as an effective method in reducing and controlling dust levels as well as improving the quality of health in wards. Moreover, the possibility of using and installing IoT systems on mobile phones as well as their application for monitoring health improvement had been investigated by two articles. The advantages of using the IoT to save time and keep users’ information confidential had also been discussed by some other reviewed articles.

Conclusions: It was concluded that the application of IoT system in hospitals increased the quality of healthcare and improved the patient satisfaction. It was also found that adopting IoT technology may have been extremely effective in controlling various hospital infections. Moreover, this technology was detected to have the true potential for improving the security of devices and databases in the hospital. Overall, the application of IoT was confirmed to increase the efficiency of hospitals and health centers.