Researchers have developed a conceptual framework to integrate IoT-enabled medical devices into the Smart Grid Architecture Model (SGAM) for home-based elderly care in Europe. The study by Azad Aghajani, Marco Ciro Liscio, Lorenzo Scalise, and Paolo Sospiro was published in "Frontiers in Digital Health" (DOI: 10.3389/fdgth.2026.1897840). It supplements the model with an economic and energy assessment.
The framework maps health devices, actors, communication pathways, and functions across the interoperability layers, domains, and zones of the SGAM. The focus is on interoperability, data exchange, and integration between the home environment, healthcare services, and energy-efficient infrastructure. Five common home monitoring devices were analyzed: pulse oximeter, blood pressure monitor, digital thermometer, smart ECG device, and blood glucose meter. The assessment is based on European secondary data, expert literature, manufacturer specifications, and market estimates, not on own measurements.
In the reference scenario, the analysis yields a benefit-cost ratio of 2.75 and a positive net present value; a sensitivity analysis with three scenarios shows that the economic outcome remains positive even under conservative assumptions. The combined electricity consumption of the devices is estimated at approximately 0.12 kilowatt-hours per month – the direct energy demand is therefore low.
The authors conclude that the main benefit of the SGAM in this context lies not in energy savings at the device level, but in a structured framework for interoperability, communication, data exchange, and integration into existing care infrastructures. Potential benefits for continuity of care, autonomy, and well-being of older adults are discussed as expected effects that still need empirical validation. The background is demographic change: worldwide, the number of people over 65 is projected to rise to 2.2 billion by the end of the 2070s, surpassing the number of children.
