Internet of Things in healthcare: An adaptive ethical framework for IoT in digital health

Abstract

The emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) has sparked a profound transformation in the field of digital health, leading to the rise of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). These IoT applications, while promising significant enhancements in patient care and health outcomes, simultaneously present a myriad of ethical dilemmas. This paper aims to address these ethical challenges by introducing the Adaptive Ethical Framework for IoT in Digital Health (AEFIDH), a comprehensive evaluation framework designed to examine the ethical implications of IoT technologies within digital health contexts. The AEFIDH is developed using a mixed-methods approach, encompassing expert consultations, surveys, and interviews. This approach was employed to validate and refine the AEFIDH, ensuring it encapsulates critical ethical dimensions, including data privacy, informed consent, user autonomy, algorithmic fairness, regulatory compliance, ethical design, and equitable access to healthcare services. The research reveals pressing issues related to data privacy, security, and user autonomy and highlights the imperative need for an increased focus on algorithmic transparency and the integration of ethical considerations in the design and development of IoT applications. Despite certain limitations, the AEFIDH provides a promising roadmap for guiding the responsible development, deployment, and utilization of IoT technologies in digital health, ensuring its relevance amidst the rapidly evolving digital health landscape. This paper contributes a novel, dynamic framework that encapsulates current ethical considerations and is designed to adapt to future technological evolutions, thereby fostering ethical resilience in the face of ongoing digital health innovation. The framework’s inherent adaptability allows it to evolve in tandem with technological advancements, positioning it as an invaluable tool for stakeholders navigating the ethical terrain of IoT in healthcare.