Application of cognitive Internet of Medical Things for COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background and aim: In the age of advanced digital technology, smart healthcare based on the Internet of Things (IoT) is gaining importance to deal with the current COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper, the novel application of cognitive radio (CR) based IoT specific for the medical domain referred to as Cognitive Internet of Medical Things (CIoMT) is explored to tackle the global challenge. This concept of CIoT is best suited to this pandemic as every person is to be connected and monitored through a massive network that requires efficient spectrum management.

Methods: An extensive literature survey is conducted in the Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, Research Gate, and IEEE Xplore databases using the terms "COVID-19" and "Cognitive IoT" or "Corona virus" and "IoMT". The latest data and inputs from official websites and reports are used for further investigation and analysis of the application areas.

Results: This review encompasses different novel applications of CIoMT for fighting the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis. The CR based dynamic spectrum allocation technique is the solution for accommodating a massive number of devices and a wide number of applications. The CIoMT platform enables real-time tracking, remote health monitoring, rapid diagnosis of the cases, contact tracking, clustering, screening, and surveillance thus, reducing the workload on the medical industry for prevention and control of the infection. The challenges and future research directions are also identified.

Conclusions: CIoMT is a promising technology for rapid diagnosis, dynamic monitoring and tracking, better treatment and control without spreading the virus to others.

Keywords: COVID-19; Cognitive Internet of Medical Things (CIoMT); Coronavirus; Internet of Things (IoT).

Fig. 1

Major advanced technologies to tackle coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Abbreviations: Internet of Things in 5th Generation technology (IoT in 5G), Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Fig. 2

Cognitive Internet of Medical Things (CIoMT) as a special case of Internet of Medical Things (IoT).

Fig. 3

Major application areas of Cognitive Internet of Medical Things (CIoMT) for tackling coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Fig. 4

Implication of Cognitive Internet of Medical Things (CIoMT) to connect with the healthcare information technology systems by using networking technologies for combating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Fig. 5

CIoMT based remote monitoring of the COVID-19 patient. The IoT sensors such as Electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor, Electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor, Blood pressure sensor, Pulse Oximeter, Electromyography (EMG) sensor etc. helps in acquisition of real-time clinical parameters. The sensor data is collected into the data hub via Bluetooth, Zigbee, Cognitive Radio Network (CRN) or other wireless technologies. The patient information is transmitted to the medical network via the router through internet. The data is stored for severity assessment and predictive analysis and backed up in clouds. Finally the patient monitoring feedback is sent for effective treatment.