4 Tips For Developing A Successful Healthcare Software

In a systematic review of six studies on gestational diabetes mellitus published between 2008 and 2020, researchers in Germany discovered that the use of mobile health (mHealth) apps greatly contributed to improving trends. Among these trends include fewer C-section deliveries, better patient compliance, and, more importantly, improved blood glucose figures. (1)

While the researchers stressed that the number of subjects wasn’t statistically significant, the study showed the potential healthcare software holds in shaping the future healthcare system. They help patients comply with their treatment plan and enable medical practitioners to keep closer tabs on patients throughout their treatment. Developing healthcare software will be in a healthcare business’s best interest, especially in a post-pandemic future. Here are several tips on creating an effective one for their use:

1. Outsource development

No matter the industry, a business’s primary focus should be on its core processes. In this case, healthcare businesses should allocate their attention and resources to providing solutions to the ailing populace. Getting into a domain that isn’t within its expertise is a good way to lose money.

This advice becomes more crucial as businesses refocus on cost reduction due to the economic ramifications of the COVID crisis. One cost-cutting measure is outsourcing some processes to third-party providers, a sentiment shared by seven out of ten companies per a 2020 survey. (2)

Custom healthcare software development is one of such processes better left to the right service provider. The broad customization these programs can offer, not to mention the exorbitant cost of investing in such a project, should warrant enlisting their expertise to keep costs down. As a general rule in choosing, pick a developer with extensive experience and legal compliance.

2. Utilize the cloud

Data collection is an inevitable and indispensable aspect of any healthcare system. From patient information to treatment methods, the amount of data collected by businesses and facilities will be far more than any pen-and-paper record can efficiently manage.

But exactly how much data is involved? One report estimates that healthcare data accounts for 30% of global data generation, with an annual growth rate expected to surpass that of financial services, manufacturing, and media and entertainment. You’re looking at thousands of Libraries of Congress’ worth of data (the LoC currently has threepetabytes) being stored or accessed. (3)

Healthcare software should run on cloud technology to manage this much information quickly and efficiently. Aside from lowering data management costs, running programs on the cloud offer the following benefits:

• Enable collaboration among teams through seamless data sharing
• Adjust a business’s data storage needs based on its needs on the fly
• Safeguard data in the event of a natural or manmade disaster
• Integrate multiple devices into its local access network
• Help businesses comply with current data privacy legislation

3. Follow key trends

Regardless of where it applies, technology seems to introduce something new every year. In this context, a feature that’s all the rage one year may be outclassed the next. Hence, planning for healthcare software development should take current and future trends into account.

As it turns out, foresight isn’t unheard of in healthcare. Technologies like telehealth and remote delivery have been envisioned as early as the early 20th century, way before integrated circuits made them possible. These examples today feel outdated compared to these predictions for 2022:

• Robotic process automation – a form of process automation designed for working on highly-repetitive tasks, such as billing and storing electronic health records (EHR).
• Precision medicine – employing Internet of Things-ready devices and apps to enable more accurate monitoring of patients.
• Augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) – providing patients with an immersive experience through AR/VR gadgetry, primarily in rehabilitation.
• Blockchain-based security – this decentralized system helps better protect patients’ data, as well as mitigate fraud for use by health insurance providers.

4. Prepare staff for its use

No matter how advanced healthcare software can be, it won’t matter to a user that barely knows how to use it properly. A study of New York City’s EHR implementation program in 2013 found that doctors using the technology still required at least nine months of technical support to make them more adept. Without it, years can pass without them getting used to the program. (4)

Consistent training is a crucial aspect of adopting new technologies, but there’s no need to train everyone to be equally skilled. Everyone should undergo basic computer training, but the tech-savvy ones can undergo further training to guide the rest.

Conclusion

Healthcare software is already an inevitable part of a modern healthcare system, more so as the pandemic winds down. Lessons learned will drive the implementation of these technologies to all-time highs. Businesses planning to integrate healthcare software can consider these tips for a more comprehensive system.

Resources

1. “Effectiveness of specific mobile health applications (mHealth-apps) in gestational diabetes mellitus: a systematic review”, Source: https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-021-04274-7
2. “How much disruption? Deloitte Global Outsourcing Survey 2020”, Source: https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/process-and-operations/us-deloitte-global-out-sourcing-survey-2020.pdf
3. “The healthcare data explosion”, Source: https://www.rbccm.com/en/gib/healthcare/episode/the_healthcare_data_explosion
4. “EHRs not enough, study finds”, Source: https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/ehrs-not-enough-study-finds