The Top 7 Benefits of Cloud Computing in Healthcare in the Future
Cloud computing in healthcare is revolutionizing how we deliver medical services to the populace. For both the patient and medical care provider, cloud solutions development enhance medical care and health, enabling both parties to enjoy scalable and futuristic benefits.
This article explains what cloud computing in healthcare is and how it helps improve healthcare delivery.
Here’s a brief table of content:
What Is Cloud Computing In Healthcare?
To understand what cloud computing in healthcare is, we must first define cloud computing. Cloud computing is the on-demand delivery of computer services facilitated by remote servers over the internet. Services that could be delivered via cloud computing include data storage, analytics, software, networking, servers, and databases.
Following that definition, cloud computing in healthcare is implementing cloud computing by storing, handling, and processing medical information over the cloud, as opposed to analog physical storage of patient medical data. Simply, it’s cloud storage without the need to spend resources creating an on-site data center.
Cloud solution for healthcare enables medical institutions and organizations to process large amounts of data quickly. Additionally, it helps multiple connected organizations and communities to reach the same information at will.
Types Of Cloud Computing
When it comes to healthcare cloud computing, what service arises from it depends on two perspectives, namely deployment and distribution. Deployment refers to the types of service, while distribution refers to the environment the system is launched in.
Under deployment, we have:
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): third-party provides physical storage and processing tools for deploying applications.
- Platform as a Service (PaaS): third-party cloud provider brings the hardware and software tools needed for developing, testing, and deploying online telehealth applications.
- Software as a Service (SaaS): third-party provider brings ready-to-use cloud-based software such as clinical information systems for managing and storing data.
Under distribution, cloud computing for healthcare manifests as:
- Public: One cloud provider delivers services to the public. They’re convenient, scalable, and easily accessible over the internet.
- Private: The provider serves just one client or a group of practitioners with similar interests and is better for controlled security.
- Hybrid: Combination of different cloud options, access, and services.
Applications of Cloud Computing in Healthcare
Cloud computing for healthcare delivery manifests in several ways ranging from cloud storage, analytics, cloud security, and so much more. Below are various ways that cloud solution for healthcare services are applied:
- Patient data storage and tracking
- Data analysis
- Sharing electronic health records (EHR) for collaborative healthcare
- Access to computing tools
- Cloud storage for radiology images and large EHR data sets
- Analysis and monitoring of diagnosis and treatment-related data
Cloud solution for Healthcare in Practice (Examples)
Various telehealth and telemedicine companies implement applications to build healthcare platforms. Practical examples of implementing a cloud solution for healthcare include Medable, Nintex, Youcomm, Microsoft Azure and Hololens, and Pfizer.
Medable provides end-to-end collaborative tools for enabling more efficient clinical trials with their chief product, Decentralized Clinical Trial (DCT) Platform. It helps researchers enlist, monitor, and improve patient health with their studies.
Nintex digitizes, automates, and simplifies manual processes related to documentation. Their cloud solution serves medical professionals, pharmaceuticals, and makers of medical devices.
YouComm, an alternative to the call bell, improves in-hospital patient-to-nurse communication by allowing patients to notify medical caregivers about their needs through head gestures, voice commands, and manual option selection.
Microsoft Azure enables healthcare professionals to monitor patient analytics and insights over the cloud. Another Microsoft product, Hololens2, projects holographic images for the wearer, allowing access to patient data during operations and treatment.
Pfizer, the pharmaceutical company responsible for one of the COVID-19 vaccines and Xanax and Viagra, uses Oracle’s cloud service and Amazon Web Services (AWS) to enhance clinical trials. It monitors and manages every stage of the clinical trial process, including creating the trial, gathering data, cleansing, and submission.
Top 7 Cloud Computing Healthcare Benefits
From cost-effectiveness to collaborative medicine, these cloud computing healthcare benefits elaborate on why cloud computing is the future of healthcare:
- Efficient record-keeping and Interoperability
- Patient involvement and experience
- Collaborative healthcare delivery
- Secure data storage
- Dependable data recovery
- Cost-effective and Easier Scalability
Efficient record-keeping and Interoperability
Cloud computing for healthcare delivery creates an avenue for efficient record-keeping. No longer would medical personnel have to waste time trying to find your hard copy medical file out of thousands. With cloud solutions, they simply type in your name or hospital number and send it to the doctor.
And when the doctor makes a diagnosis or records health charts, the system is automatically updated for every party to see. In the same way, that updated data is accessible through connected medical IoT-enabled devices when needed, whether you’re in a consultation or operation.
Patient involvement and experience
One way cloud computing in healthcare has boosted patient experience is by involving them in their treatment process. Doctors can now share their patient notes, prescriptions, lab results, and medical information with the patient or other hospitals anytime.
This helps patients to better understand their condition beyond taking pills when asked. It makes for greater transparency where the doctor and patient can share information more freely.
Collaborative healthcare delivery
Some medical diagnoses or research calls for multiple medical practitioners to weigh in on an issue. Cloud computing in healthcare, through cloud storage and other applications, allows medical personnel to obtain access to the same records simultaneously.
Certified engineers
Convenient rates
Fast start
Profitable conditions
Agreement with
EU company
English and German
speaking engineers
In cases where specialists are working on the same patient, everyone can view the patient’s information, discuss virtually, and proffer solutions without crossing borders or spending time on the road. Additionally, cloud computing allows specialists to deliver care remotely, for example, when a surgeon cannot make it to the hospital.
Advanced cloud solution for healthcare
Cloud computing has helped telemedicine apps advance in their use. Patients and doctors can now share health data and receive information on health insurance availability. It all depends on the functions or features of the telemedicine software or app.
These health apps help people monitor insurance, communicate with nurses, attend consultations virtually, and keep track of medications. They could also log symptoms or side effects, which are then transmitted to the cloud, where the doctor can process the information.
Secure data storage
The applications of cloud computing in healthcare prevent the mishandling of patient information. Without cloud storage, medical facilities are saddled with data centers that are easily compromised.
It’s worse when operating a manual system where pages from a patient’s file can fall out of the file while a nurse takes it to the doctor. Anyone can pick up the file, thereby breaching patient privacy. By implementing data storage software for healthcare, only the doctor and authorized personnel can have access to patient data.
Dependable data recovery
Natural disasters can occur anywhere, and most times, you’ll know ahead of time. Institutions operating manual record-keeping or on-premise electronic storage would have to move all their data and storage equipment to a safe place. Unfortunately, equipment and patient data can get damaged or lost forever while in transit.
However, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requires medical institutions to back up patient data in multiple locations. Cloud computing helps facilities achieve this seamlessly by uploading and backing up information automatically. If a disaster were to befall the facility, the data would be safe and easily accessible in the cloud.
Cost-effective and Easier Scalability
Building and operating a physical data center does not come cheap. Equipment, personnel, software upgrades and expansion all come at a cost that might be better utilized elsewhere. With cloud storage, medical institutions wouldn’t need to spend resources purchasing, setting up, and maintaining data centers.
Also, when medical facilities had no other choice but to operate their own data centers, scaling was a huge issue. They’d space for new equipment they’ll acquire, install them, and upgrade their current software at a cost. With cloud computing, these facilities only have to upgrade their subscription service to scale.
Why Cloud Computing Is The Future
Technology aims to make processes more straightforward, efficient, and effective. And that’s what cloud computing does.
If anything, the global pandemic, which started in 2020, has shown that we need improvement in handling patient information and boosting healthcare services. Cloud computing for healthcare is one way of responding to the urgent need for cost-effectiveness and efficiency in healthcare delivery systems.
Furthermore, the development of cloud solutions for healthcare services and software would make diagnosis and treatment more efficient. This ultimately results in better patient care and medical access.
Conclusion
What are the effects of cloud solutions and software for healthcare delivery on our health systems? Cloud computing reduces operational and service costs, automates and digitalizes medical record keeping, and protects the data. In terms of patient care, it boosts collaboration among professionals, hospitals, and researchers, to efficiently deliver treatment and solve pressing medical issues.
If you need highly qualified Healthcare app developers with great expertise, contact us now!
