Software Engineering in Healthcare
Software Engineering in Healthcare
Software Engineering in Healthcare
https://doi.org/10.22214/ijraset.2021.38845
International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET)
ISSN: 2321-9653; IC Value: 45.98; SJ Impact Factor: 7.429
Volume 9 Issue XI Nov 2021- Available at www.ijraset.com
Abstract: As technology is advancing and affecting every phase of human life, health care facilities are also getting improved
with the introduction of new advanced, customized, and patient-centric approaches in software engineering. Engineers all
around the world are working to create unique and efficient ways for the prevention and early detection of diseases along with
improving the patients’ experience while using these technologies. With the gain in computing power and access to a wide range
of software, software engineers are working on technologies such as Big Data, AI, Data Science, and Cybersecurity to improve
the existing methodologies and pave the way for patient-centric approaches and knowledge translation.
I. THESIS
Identifying the issues and challenges present in the healthcare sector and aiming to find efficient measures to tackle them with the
introduction of new technologies such as AI, Big Data, and Cybersecurity while following the best software practices.
The rest of this paper is structured as follows. Section 2 shows an introduction to the topic. Key challenges and issues faced in the
healthcare industry are present in Section 3. An overview of patient-centric approaches is present in Section 4. The discussion of
how new technologies such as BigData, AI, Data Science, and Cybersecurity can improve the existing healthcare technologies is
present in Section 5. Knowledge Translation in healthcare is discussed in Section 6. Finally, the paper is concluded in Section 7.
II. INTRODUCTION
The Healthcare industry demands unique devices and services tailored to the best project methodologies and software development
models with limited chances of error. Over the last few decades, the demand for software engineering principles and methodologies
has grown rapidly due to the advancement in technology. Healthcare requires the use of software engineering technologies at every
step of the way starting from complex devices to monitor various aspects of the human body to the less complex patient record
management systems.
The technology sector is growing at a very fast pace and thus it opens new avenues for research in software engineering for health
care. The rise of digital health can bring in an opportunity for “patient centricity”, thus improving the quality of healthcare
experience for the patient.
The advancing utilization of innovation incorporates arrangement and medicine updates, accessible information bases of clinical
counsel, and treatment use cases concerning indications, medicines, recuperation periods, torment levels, and that's just the
beginning. Whole income streams are being made by the consideration of applicable medical care offers of administrations and
items – which can be bought, safely online employing Web-based business. [3]
Wearable devices such as Fitbits that can be used to measure heart rate, calories, and other medical metrics are gaining traction by
the users.[3] The data collected using these wearable devices can be communicated wirelessly and can be further used for health
management, reviews by medical professionals, and emergency healthcare service personnel in the time of need as these devices
capture data in real-time and can facilitate quick decision-making.
B. Chatbots
Many companies and organizations are creating chatbots to help customers and patients manage their healthcare needs. Chatbots are
smart robots for assisted living and personal care. They provide customized diagnoses and treatment.
Chatbots can transform the healthcare industry by replacing unprofessional, inefficient visits to doctors with a less expensive,
higher-quality alternative. These bots come in various forms that provide feedback on conditions such as diabetes or asthma or
automate routine tasks such as scheduling appointments. [3]
Chatbots make it easier for people who otherwise wouldn't have access to medical help because of economic constraints or
geographic location. Many other mobile health applications have also become popular such as those which can help patients take
their medication or track their health records and thus facilitating the beginning of a new era in digital healthcare.
C. Cybersecurity
Cyber-attacks have increased a lot in the healthcare industry as almost everything is now digital, and for the normal functioning of
organizations and systems, cybersecurity in healthcare and protecting information is vital. Specialized healthcare systems which
exist in many healthcare organizations such as radiology information systems, e-prescribing systems and many more must be
protected.[5]
Different types of cyberattacks occur in the healthcare industry which includes: 1. Ransomware 2. Data Breaches 3. DDoS attacks 4.
Insider Threats 5. Business email compromise and fraud scams. Beyond financial loss and breach of privacy, these attacks can cause
patients’ lives at risk due to the loss of data.[6]
The WannaCry ransomware attack, the attack Anthem Blue Cross, Premera Blue Cross, University of California, Los Angeles
Health, TRICARE, Newkirk Products, and much more cybersecurity attacks have forced the government and the organizations to
implement and increase the emphasis on successful cybersecurity systems or frameworks.
VII. CONCLUSION
With the increase of mutations and diseases, identification and early diagnosis have become an integral part of the healthcare
industry. Knowledge Translation combined with software engineering can, in turn, pave the way for the introduction of new
methodologies and technologies to cater to the needs of the patients and in turn, lead to the development of the healthcare sector.
The current ongoing problems can be tackled using patient-centric approaches and by introducing technologies such as AI, Big
Data, and Cybersecurity to reform the existing practices.
REFERENCES
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problems-which-digital-technologies-can-solve-for-a-fit-and-healthy-world/
[3] “Patient-Centric Approach in Custom Healthcare Software Development”. Velvetech, H. Evans. (2021). https://www.velvetech.com/blog/patient-centric-
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[4] N. Liu et al., "A New Data Visualization and Digitization Method for Building Electronic Health Record," 2020 IEEE International Conference on
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[6] “Cyber Attacks: In the Healthcare sector”. Center for Internet Security. https://www.cisecurity.org/blog/cyber-attacks-in-the-healthcare-sector/
[7] J. H. Weber-Jahnke, M. Price and J. Williams, "Software engineering in health care: Is it really different? And how to gain impact," 2013 5th International
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[8] ”Knowledge Translation.” Wikipedia (2012). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_translation
[9] ”Knowledge Translation for Health Decision Making”. PAHO. https://www3.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9682:knowledge-
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[10] Southwest Educational Development Laboratory(2005). “What is Knowledge Translation?”.
https://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus10/Focus10.pdf