Although, traditionally, we think of the internet as a network for computers, in recent years, additional types of devices have joined the fray. The IoT is a network of physical devices embedded with sensors, software, and internet connectivity, enabling these devices to exchange data (Dimitrov, 2016). To date, much work has been done with the IoT in the healthcare space, and the implications of the IoT for healthcare are considerable. One emerging function of the IoT is to be able to remotely monitor patient health (Ma et al., 2017). A prototypical example is provided by a group of researchers at UCLA who developed a weight, activity, and blood pressure patient-monitoring system for CHF called WANDA (Suh et al., 2011). Increased weight due to fluid retention, decreased activity, and uncontrolled blood pressure are critical markers of CHF decompensation; WANDA uses weight scales and blood pressure monitors to communicate measurements about the patient to the patient's phone via Bluetooth. The phone then sends this data to a backend database in the cloud, along with activity and symptom information about the patient collected from a phone-based app. The data can then be used to perform logistic regression (similar to that we discussed in Chapter 2, Healthcare Foundations and Chapter 7, Making Predictive Models in Healthcare) to alert a physician in case the patient is at risk of CHF decompensation. All of this is done privately and securely. This is a prime example of how one of the deadliest and most morbid chronic diseases can be fought using the IoT.

Although the IoT-healthcare partnership has promise, major obstacles and barriers include effective interdevice communication (device companies often use their own proprietary languages), maintenance of patient privacy and security, and ease of use for the patient (Dimitrov, 2016). Certainly, the IoT space will be one to watch as we look toward the future.