Advancing Healthcare with the Medical Internet of Things

This book explores the complex and rapidly evolving internet of things (IOT) and the expanding role of wearable technologies on healthcare. Remote monitoring and wearable devices have become increasingly popular in recent years, enabling continuous tracking of vital signs, activity levels and other health parameters. This can support early detection of potential health issues, facilitate proactive preventive care and allow healthcare providers to monitor patients' conditions remotely. By integrating data from wearables with electronic health records, it is possible to obtain a comprehensive view of a patient's health status. This book is intended primarily for postgraduate students and researchers, but is also suitable for advanced undergraduates across a range of health‑related disciplines. These include computer science (with an emphasis on healthcare informatics), healthcare informatics, data science, biomedical engineering and medical ethics. It is written for readers interested in the intersection of the medical IOT, healthcare and data security. The book also serves as a valuable resource for medical practitioners, healthcare IT professionals, hospital administrators and clinical data analysts. In addition, it will appeal to AI developers, data scientists, cybersecurity analysts and product managers working in healthcare technology.

Advancing Healthcare with the Medical Internet of Things offers an overview of cutting‑edge innovations driving smart, responsive and patient‑focused healthcare. The book highlights both the opportunities these devices create and the technological advancements still needed to fully realize their potential. The chapters explore the ethical and legal implications of collecting, storing and using patient data generated by wearable devices, emphasizing the importance of responsible data governance. The book also focuses on hidden biases embedded in IOT systems and their potential to exacerbate existing healthcare disparities, underscoring the need to identify and mitigate these biases to ensure equitable healthcare delivery. In addition, it describes a range of wearable technologies used across global health systems, assessing their advantages and limitations, and therefore equips healthcare providers, policymakers and technologists with a clearer understanding of both the benefits and the risks associated with integrating wearable devices into clinical practice.

Dr Philip Eappen is an Assistant Professor at Cape Breton University and a Director of Research in Medicine at Dalhousie (CBMC). He has over 15 years of experience in healthcare operations, and in academics. Dr. Eappen taught at the University of Toronto, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, and Fanshawe College prior to CBU. He was also a Director of Clinical Services and Transition to Community at Breton Ability Centre, Sydney. Before moving to Canada, Dr. Eappen also worked as Director, and as a Chief Administrator of Health Services at AUN. He also worked as a faculty member at the American University and other universities and colleges. Dr. Eappen has a Doctorate in Healthcare Administration from Central Michigan University, United States, a Master of Business Administration in Health Care Management, and a Bachelor of Nursing. Dr. Eappen also has a post-graduate certificate in international health from Central Michigan University. He was recently granted with Certified Healthcare Executive from Canadian College of Healthcare Executives and also is a candidate for Fellow in American College of Healthcare Executives. His field of research interest is healthcare innovations. He has published various articles, book chapters, and books on healthcare innovations.

Narasimha Rao Vajjhala is an academic and researcher currently serving as Professor and Chair of the Computer Science Department at the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG).  Dr. Vajjhala previously held leadership roles as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at the University of New York Tirana (UNYT) in Albania and Chair of the Computer Science and Software Engineering programs at the American University of Nigeria (AUN). With over 23 years of experience in academia, he has taught programming, database management, and related courses across Europe and Africa at both undergraduate and graduate levels. An active contributor to the global research community, Dr. Vajjhala is a Senior Member of ACM and IEEE, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Risk and Contingency Management (IJRCM), and a member of the Project Management Institute (PMI). Beyond academia, he has worked as a technology consultant for European firms and has been actively involved in EU-funded projects. Dr. Vajjhala holds a Doctorate in Information Systems and Technology from the United States, a Master of Science in Computer Science and Applications from India, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) specializing in Information Systems from Switzerland. His expertise spans computer science, project management, and information systems, making significant contributions to both research and industry.

Dr Ruiling Guo is a professor of healthcare administration at Idaho State University's College of Business. She holds a Doctor of Health Administration (DHA) from Central Michigan University, a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) from McGill University, and a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Idaho State University. Dr. Guo has extensive working and teaching experience in academia and international healthcare systems. Her current research interests focus on evidence-based management in healthcare, population health, healthcare policy, comparative health systems, and health information science. Dr Guo teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses in healthcare administration. She holds a graduate faculty position at Idaho State University's Graduate School. The courses she has taught include the US. Health System and Policy, Business of Healthcare, Health Care Policy, Health Information System, Health Informatics, Managerial Epidemiology, Population Health, Health Services Management, AI and IT in Healthcare, and Administration and Management of Healthcare Organizations. Dr. Guo serves as a board member of the Association of the University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), an Editorial Board member of Healthcare Executive for the American College of Healthcare Executives, a fellow of the Center for Evidence-based Management, a distinguished member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP), a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and a reviewer for the AUPHA certification committees and peer-reviewed journals in healthcare administration and medicine/health sciences. She has received numerous research grants and awards and published over 25 peer-reviewed articles.

Dr. Virginia Gunn is an Associate Professor in the School of Nursing at Cape Breton University, Nova Scotia, Canada and an Affiliate Researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden. She earned her PhD and master’s degrees from the University of Toronto, Canada where she developed robust cross‑disciplinary expertise spanning health sciences, social sciences, and applied research methodologies.

Dr. Gunn is actively engaged in several international, multidisciplinary research initiatives focused on artificial intelligence, collaborating with teams across Austria, Australia, Belgium, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Her research program includes a focus on algorithmic management and its implications for workers’ health and wellbeing, the integration of algorithmic systems within workplaces, including healthcare, and workforce training in healthcare informatics.