Cloud Computing for Healthcare
Healthcare organizations have been adapting the latest technologies to concentrate medical processes, offer new patient care applications and deliver progressive healthcare amenities. Other than these, the health sector also has a requirement for an environment where experts can collaborate for finding solutions to problems in the field. Cloud is a good option for these as it will provide a cost-effective way to provide scalability and computational power required for the purpose.
The characteristics of cloud mentioned below help to overcome these challenges:
1. On-demand service: The resources are delivered instantly without any human exclusion.
2. Resource Pooling: Multiple users from multiple devices can have access to the cloud services at the same time.
3. Elasticity: It is possible to add, remove or upgrade as per the institutional requirements.
4. Broad Network Access: A wide range of network accessibility is provided from any geographical location at any moment of time.
5.Pay as you use: Bill is generated for only the amount of resource consumers use
- What is a Cloud Based Healthcare System?
Healthcare with respect to cloud is about combining cloud computing technology for the creation of healthcare services. More healthcare providers are looking to work with dealers that deliver cloud computing solutions to save and fetch their digital records. For both small and large organizations, security for stored information provided by the cloud is a huge benefit along with the accessibility provided with it.
A Cloud-based System focuses on given significant requirements in the healthcare sector:
• On-demand access to computing with massive and significant storage resources that aren’t doable in standard care systems.
• Support heavy datasets for EHR(electronic health record), radiology images and genomic data offloading.
• A regular access to vital information about different tests and its results. Electronic Health Record (EHR) is provided by cloud for different researchers and doctors located at any place in the world.
• Upgrading process of studying and monitoring the data on diagnosis, cures, cost and performance.
Cost-saving with respect to operational expenses to ensure better personal attention and facilities is one of the benefits cloud provides. At the same time, patients receive fast responses from healthcare providers and can access their healthcare data with advanced tracking. Previously (even currently in some case ) hospitals use local server for billing EMR (electronic medical record). This results in more expensive process because of cost of performing below actions -
• Maintenance of upgrading records
• Backup amenities
• Load balancing issues
• Space Utilization
Using Cloud based infrastructure for these processes, opens doors to various prospects for finding solutions to management problems. We can always improve and adapt latest trends in technology to set up a collaborative environment with required storage provided by cloud
2. How is Cloud Computing used in Healthcare?
Cloud computing provides a firm and secure infrastructure to hospitals, medical practitioners, insurance organizations, and research centers making it cost-effective along with efficient computing. With these, cloud computing can decrease the difficulties for the innovation and modernization of healthcare domains and their applications. It eventually shifts health data organization towards more convenient and reliable structure.
The method of the cloud services is enforced with the purpose of private and public cloud communication. Private cloud platform includes hardware as well as software elements that comprise all identified healthcare necessities. The vital functions steps during this method are mentioned below
• Authentication — it’s enforced through cryptanalytic protocols and rules for the necessity of users to access non-public cloud resources when confirmatory with success.
• Authorization — makes sure that the specific users have access to all private cloud resources.
• Data persistence — This supports to manage and operate on data distantly throughout the world
• Data integrity — It guarantees the consistent data is during any inter-domain operation.
• Data confidentiality — It results in transmission of the data, which is accessed by the user.
3. Benefits of Cloud Computing in Healthcare:
• Anticipative service : Precaution is always better than cure and that’s exactly how results taken from cloud computing recommendations and conclusions help you tackle a problem even before it occurs.
• Complex picture : The data elements for the technology are many, meaning that each healthcare organization involves all the people who have access to the large perspective which is possible.
• Working with Big Data : Using cloud, analytics can deal with large data sets, supporting various environments.
• Accurate decision-making and treatment : To make a rightful decision you need accurate analysis and cloud computing provides it precisely which reduces medical errors significantly.
• Cost-effectiveness : The software comes for a minimal cost, as the huge set of analytical opportunities is provided by default.
4. Applications of Cloud Computing in Healthcare:
• Management of Information Systems: To Streamline The flow of information inside and outside the organization’s healthcare industry has started using management information systems which helps physicians to provide better care for their patients and the customer mainly uses it as enquiry service.
• Telemedicine and Drug Discovery: For sharing patient medical data in real-time across geographical boundaries. For obtaining the saved info at their place and time. For decreasing the casual visits of doctors with improving efficiency of time and money.
• Digital Libraries: Institutions and individuals to avail the facility on demand. Information gainers find it easy to search through a semantic-based query method. Physicians get knowledge of current ongoing status in the medical field which in return improve their work practice life.
• Virtual Medical Universities: Cloud computing has acquired its hold in the academic sector owing to its flexibility and pay-as-you-go model. Huge number of applications are developed to enhance on-campus and off-campus for academic purposes.
There has to be reason that world hasn’t completely accepted the cloud’s concept. In a much broader way, the usage of cloud computing takes time and effort from a number of industry people. For that, smart and novel technology practice needs unique different thinking from various participants belonging to industry for its better future. When it comes to deploying problems on the lower levels, the inability of useful methods is what backs off the healthcare sector from yielding the maximum usage from cloud computing. The industry professionals attempt to consider technology as the cure for all diseases, while in the real world it is predicted for identification of clearly high-value targets and making a well-thoughtful business model.
5. Cloud Computing Issues in Healthcare:
• Lack of good specialist: The difficulties behind cloud computing in healthcare are linked with an inability to acquire the help of an IT software company that works with today’s brand new technology.
• Limited functionality: Cloud computing alone is not powerful. To implement a good analytical model, you need to have smart connected devices, AI, and knowledge about data management.
• Security issues: While implanting cloud computing, healthcare workers and technicians may have some privacy related issues. This situation can occur in the case you get help from the unprofessional software providers in the opposite case.
6. How to tackle most of the problems related to cloud computing in healthcare to give it a new direction?
Since the technology is new, it’s highly necessary to get a good software developer who has knowledge and experience in working with similar traditional and upcoming tools.
Assistance with the help of software experts is a good way towards it. In our daily life we practice, we empower the healthcare sector by providing innovative solutions and ways. We can inculcate cloud computing too!
References:
1)TRANSFORMING HEALTHCARE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT WITH EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
https://www.leewayhertz.com/healthcare-supply-chain-management
2) DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY book for Cloud enabled data analytics and visualization framework for health-shock prediction by Mahmud, Shahid
https://pure.coventry.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/42066929/Mahmud2016.pdf
3)Cloud Computing Healthcare Industry https://darshan-rathod159.medium.com/cloud-computing-in-healthcare-indus-6f860a9cb25
Blog by — Gaurisunilbharat Jaydeep Desai Dhairyashil Desai