Internet of Things as Key Enabler for Sustainable Healthcare Delivery

Many errors occurring in healthcare are related to the lack of availability of important patient-related medical information. According to researchers, the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) hold promise for increasing the accessibility of medical information and it is essential for patient safety. Furthermore, new developments in information and computing technologies will lead to subsequent dramatic changes in the healthcare environment. A vast and multilayered infrastructure of ubiquitous computing technologies and applications is emerging. The current widespread deployment of cell phones, laptops, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and various forms of sensing devices based on digital and radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies penetrate the healthcare environment. The Internet of Things infrastructure allows connections between different entities, such as human beings (patients, medical staff, etc.), medical devices, intelligent wheelchairs, wireless sensors, mobile robots, etc. This paper aims to show how radio frequency identification, multi-agent and Internet of Things technologies can be used to improve people’s access to quality and affordable healthcare services, to reduce medical errors, to improve patient safety, and to optimize the healthcare processes. © 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of The 2nd International Conference on Integrated Information.