IoT and Big Data in Public Health

Abstract

Technology can transform lives, and nowadays, the internet of things and big data are helping developing countries to improve healthcare outcomes and deliver better services. In Colombia, a lot of municipalities do not have reliable healthcare information systems, and still, a lot of the current processes that collect critical information related to public health are being made manually. Small groups of researchers are trying to include different stakeholders in active IoT and big data projects by using connected sensors and other IoT technologies that drive improvement in healthcare. According to the World Health Organization, hypertension is considered one of the most prevalent chronic diseases in Latin America today, and it has had an exponential growth in the last 10 years. This chapter utilizes data acquisition sensors, large medical datasets, and machine-learning methods to perform predictive analytics in a hypertensive population in Cartagena to assist public health organizations to create proactive care programs to prevent the increase of this disease in Cartagena.