Cloud Technology Revolutionizing Healthcare Data, Accessibility, & Storage
Cloud technology is a transformational way of accessing and
sharing data. The foundation itself stems from decades of revolutionary and
similar technology including service bureaus, mainframes, and application
service providers (Soman, 2011). As technology starts to advance so will the
way we share and save data. The more important component of cloud computing is
accessibility. With a major transition from desktops to mobile networks cloud
services allows organization and members to stay connected.
Relevance to
Healthcare & Potential Impact
The cloud is a developing paradigm intended to improve
accessibility, reduce costs, and overcome data mining difficulties. The
potential impact of implementing cloud based services in healthcare is to
improve various areas the healthcare systems. From real-time accessibility to
digitizing health records. There is a potential that cloud solutions can
revolutionize the way we store and share data (Kuo, 2011). If we look at
electronic medical vendors such as Epic who are taking the first step in
hosting cloud based solutions for their customers. We start to see the first
shift in what will be a game changer for the future of healthcare. No longer
will large practices need to invest large amounts of money on data centers. The
future seems to trend towards third party management, changing organizational expenses
to operational rather than capital (Soman, 2011).
Current and Future Challenges
A major current and ongoing challenge is security. Allowing
outside third party organizations to control and manage stored data, drives the
fear of potential data breaches. Griebel et al (2015) recommends using special
security certificates, access controls list’s (ACL’s), and digital signatures
to reduce the risk of information breaches. A comparable framework is that of the
organization I work for which requires a personal enterprise ID that allows you
access to the company’s network. Giving everyone a personal identification to
login to the network reduces risk of fraudulent access. Also establishing
security guidelines to reduce inappropriate access and working closely with the
cloud services providers is key in implementing a successful cloud solution.
Ongoing Research
An interesting area that can enhance patient care and
improve longevity is the approach of implementing wearable devices with mobile apps
that relay critical patient data to the cloud for patients who require
continuous monitoring. Wang, Gui, and Liu (2014) developed a hybrid approach
that takes this method which they call a mobile-cloud prototype to improve
patient care. The architecture takes information from the wearable device (e.g.
body monitor) which sends data to the phone, which then stores the data in the
cloud to be accessible remotely by the patients care team. The primary issues
that they encountered through this approach where security and computational
performance. With a new trend towards mobile health (mHealth) accessibility
will be crucial. Cloud providers offer an affordable and efficient package that
can improve various areas of the healthcare system. Focusing on the future of
healthcare it’s important that we create new avenues of opportunity to improve
patient care.
References:
Griebel, L., Prokosch, H., Köpcke, F., Toddenroth, D.,
Christoph, J., Leb, I., & ... Sedlmayr, M. (2015). A scoping review of
cloud computing in healthcare. BMC Medical Informatics & Decision
Making, 15(1), 1-16. doi:10.1186/s12911-015-0145-7
Kuo, A. M.-H. (2011). Opportunities and Challenges of Cloud
Computing to Improve Health Care Services. Journal of Medical Internet
Research, 13(3), e67. http://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.1867
Soman, A (2014). What are cloud services. Cloud-based
Solutions for Healthcare IT. Einfield, NH: Science Publishers
Wang, X., Gui, Q., & Lui, Z. (2014). Enabling Smart
Personalized Healthcare: A Hybrid
Mobile-Cloud Approach for ECG Telemonitoring. IEEE Journal
of Biomedical and Health Informatics, 18(3), 739-745. doi: 10.1109/JBHI.2013.2286157
