Understanding the Role of Portable Medical Devices in the Healthcare System: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Portable and mobile biomedical devices (MBD) are an important part of modern healthcare. This is due to their ability to perform continuous monitoring, early diagnosis, and personalized treatment even outside the conventional clinical settings. Advancements in the healthcare domain are driven by high-tech sensor technology, wireless communication, and data analytics, which help identify, analyze, and interpret these devices’ applications in telemedicine and remote patient monitoring. A systematic literature review was conducted in accordance with established protocols. Peer-reviewed articles published in English during 2015–2025 were identified through a Boolean search string using the related keywords across leading scientific databases. The article selection procedure was guided by Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020. Relevant data were extracted and thematically synthesized. The study is also supported by manual keyword analysis. The review finds four major types of dominant devices, which include wearable sensors, handheld diagnostic devices, smartphone-based medical devices, and implantable portable monitors. They have been used for cardiovascular monitoring, diabetic treatment, neurology, respiratory, and rehabilitative purposes. Besides, there is an improvement in patient engagement, as demonstrated in this research. The barrier to healthcare services access, on the other hand, is reduced. Indeed, portable and mobile biomedical devices are a welcome change that will bring the healthcare system to decentralized and patient-centered care. It should be developed in the future using standardized validation procedures, secure data infrastructures, and regulatory balance. The current review also emphasizes some of the measures that can be adopted to ensure that mobile biomedical technologies can be integrated into digital health ecosystems to benefit the researchers, device designers, and doctors.