Abstract: The integration of powerful technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Multi-Agent Systems (MAS) in healthcare addresses the complex nature of the industry, facilitating communication, coordination, and decision-making among various departments. This becomes particularly crucial in the context such as the COVID-19 pandemic, where developing countries faced increased demand for healthcare services, limited resources, and a lack of robust health systems. Through the utilization of IoT and agent-based systems, remote consultations and virtual doctors can provide essential healthcare services by analyzing patient data and medical history. This paper examined the existing Internet of Things (IoT) approaches in use in health consultancy in Kenya. The study included referral hospitals as sample units, focusing on medical consultants and utilizing scholarly literature recommendations. Three (3) Hospital facilities were selected based on their capacity for training, research, and referrals. The study respondents comprised the general superintendent, medical consultants, health system managers, medical students, and patients. Interviews and survey questions were used for data collection. The instruments average validity test score was (.84) and reliability score of (.799) based on Chronbach’s Alpha. The findings of the study reveals that some hospitals have integrated IoT technology in health consultancy services in Kenya with a significant improvements in data management, diagnosis accuracy, and patient outcomes, but there is need to address concerns regarding data security, privacy, standardization and infrastructure which was pointed out to be crucial for fully harnessing its potential. It also indicates that in Kenya, a majority of healthcare facilities are using Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems and have reliable internet connectivity, although there are variations in the availability of hardware and software technology, suggesting the need for targeted improvements and investments in the healthcare technological infrastructure.
Keywords: agent-based systems, health care system, health consultancy services, internet of things, healthcare
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DOI:
10.17148/IJARCCE.2023.12817
