A framework to evaluate the barriers for adopting the internet of medical things using the extended generalized TODIM method under the hesitant fuzzy environment

Abstract

The e-health Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has succeeded in providing valuable wellness services that aid users in achieving lifestyles of higher quality. On the other hand, the adoption of these healthcare applications associates with some challenges and barriers that need to be further addressed by the academic community to be well managed. The current paper aims to build an inclusive framework for assessing the most important barriers when implementing the IoMT in the health system. To this end, a survey was conducted, literature was reviewed comprehensively, and experts were interviewed to identify the adoption barriers of IoMT. In total, 20 barriers were identified using the literature review and classified based on five main categories with the help of the experts. Specifically, this study developed an extended hesitant fuzzy generalized TODIM method to find the optimum solution to general MCGDM problems. Some novel operational laws and distance measures based on the least common multiple principle are employed in this course. The proposed framework comprises both qualitative and quantitative criteria including benefit, cost, or target. According to the obtained results, the most important barriers to the IoMT adoption are regulatory affairs, vendor lock-in, liability, trust management system, installation, etc. Additionally, the proposed method was found capable of efficiently and effectively analyzing the IoMT adoption barriers in the health care context.