Thermography and technology: transforming health insurance with smart diagnostics and fraud prevention

Abstract

Background: To synthesize evidence on how medical thermography, integrated with artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, 5G (5th Generation mobile networks), and Internet of Things (IoT), enhances diagnostics, fraud prevention, and personalized health insurance in emerging markets, addressing cost escalation and access gaps.

Methods: This systematic review followed AMSTAR 2 and PRISMA guidelines, synthesizing 25 sources (22 peer-reviewed articles, 3 industry reports) from a pre-analyzed dataset. Inclusion focused on relevance to thermography, insurance, or synergistic technologies; exclusions included non-peer-reviewed or irrelevant items. Data extraction via Microsoft Excel (version 2409) covered diagnostics, applications, synergies, and contexts. Quality appraisal used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) to assess methodological rigor. Narrative synthesis addressed heterogeneity, without meta-analysis due to design diversity and resource limits.

Results: Thermography achieves 83–98% sensitivities for breast cancer (asymmetries > 3.0°C), diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs; 96.71% with AI), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA; inflammation > 0.5°C), reducing triage times by 25% and costs by 30% in mobile settings. Blockchain’s six-layer architecture, with Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance and InterPlanetary File System, secures data at US\$0.028 per transaction, potentially reducing fraud through enhanced verification. In emerging markets like India and Brazil, portable thermography with 5G supports screening, aligned with standards like T/ZADT 005-2002.

Discussion: These integrations enable early detection (saving US\$8,000–12,000 per DFU), fraud mitigation, and equitable access, though protocol variances and biases require attention. Recommendations include standardization, pilots in rural areas, and bias-mitigating AI frameworks to optimize health insurance outcomes.

Keywords

medical thermography / health insurance / fraud prevention / artificial intelligence / blockchain / 5G networks / Internet of Things / emerging markets

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