Blog/Development

Bespoke Software in Healthcare: An Overview

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Praise Iwuh

May 08, 2023

The healthcare industry is one that progressively expands and evolves with every new day. In recent years this transformation has come in leaps and bounds, particularly since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. During that period, most healthcare services reached their breaking point. The subsequent lockdown had all industries seeking ways to cope with workflows without their staff and customers always having to be physically present at service points.

The need to use advanced systems, automation, and cutting-edge technologies for better streamlining of workflows and digitising operations became paramount. This increased the adoption of bespoke software development across industries, with healthcare at its forefront.

Bespoke software development means building software solutions or applications based on the specific requirements of a user, business or organisation. It is the opposite of traditional or off-the-shelf software, where software solutions are developed to meet an industry's broad range of needs. In healthcare, this means designing, developing, testing, launching, and maintaining software solutions specifically created for the medical industry.

The healthcare industry is a complex but crucial asset to society. This is because human existence depends on it, literally. Continuously, technological advancements play a vital role in supporting healthcare by improving patient engagement, streamlining workflows and reducing costs. The global healthcare software market size was valued at $41.2 Billion in 2021 and is set to garner a market size of USD 104.1 Billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate(CAGR) of 10.9% from 2022 to 2030.

Reasons to Invest in Bespoke Software

As the health industry keeps evolving and becoming increasingly reliant on technology, bespoke software development has become a profitable investment for healthcare providers to improve patient outcomes and enhance operational efficiency. If you are a healthcare provider considering going bespoke for your software development, here are some reasons you should.

Individual Requirements

The whole idea of custom software development is to meet the unique requirements of healthcare providers. This means designing software solutions tailored specifically to a healthcare organisation's challenges, workflows and processes.

To properly address these needs, healthcare providers cannot rely on one-size-fits-all solutions, as different organisations have varying scales of operations, team sizes, inventory, customer base, and IT systems.

While some challenges can be met with off-the-shelf software, they cannot cater to Hospital A, as they will cater to Hospital B. This is where bespoke healthcare solutions offer a major advantage; custom software made for A perfectly solves the challenges A faces, improving the overall efficiency of the staff and meeting the organisation's goals.

Enhanced Data Security

It is important for healthcare organisations to embrace bespoke software for security because they produce and manage sensitive patient data on a daily basis, making data security an important concern. The scale of this data can be as complex as it is sensitive and is transmitted across multiple platforms and channels. This leaves plenty of room for security breaches, data loss, and other unfortunate instances.

Engaging in custom software development for data security allows healthcare organisations to implement robust security measures that fit their systems, eliminating known vulnerabilities, proofing against common threats to which their systems are susceptible, and ensuring that patient data remains secure from unauthorised access.

Streamlined Processes and Increased Efficiency

One of the most obvious reasons to invest in bespoke software development in healthcare is the automation of previously manual processes. From patient registration to appointment scheduling, and medical billing to data storage and analysis, custom software solutions help healthcare providers streamline their processes, increasing efficiency, accuracy, and cost-effectiveness.

Healthcare providers can now use bespoke software to ensure the accurate, timely and secure management of records and data, customer service, patient care and overall medical operations.

Improved Patient Engagement and Care

Custom software solutions can help healthcare providers improve patient engagement and care by giving patients easy access to their medical history, test results, and other important data. Patient portals, mobile apps, and telemedicine solutions are some of the custom software solutions that can help healthcare providers improve patient engagement and care.

Patients can use these solutions to schedule appointments, communicate with their healthcare providers, access educational resources, and improve patient satisfaction and outcomes.

Impact of Custom Software on Healthcare

Bespoke software development helps healthcare organisations to customise and scale their business processes with solutions that meet their specific, unique requirements. Whether it’s a custom patient portal, an electronic health record system, or a telemedicine solution, the use of custom-developed software is causing transformation across the industry.

The impact of bespoke software is a direct result of the advancement of the global healthcare market because where software exists, bespoke software will thrive. Some specific transformations brought by bespoke software solutions are;

Improved healthcare standards

The introduction of bespoke software has vastly improved overall patient care and engagement standards. Nowadays, hospitals no longer have to battle with bulky, unorganised paper records, results and medical history documents. All of these are managed and stored on digital systems making life easy for hospital staff and patients alike.

The advent of healthcare software has also modernised appointment scheduling, front desk operations and diagnosis, reducing the endless, impatient cues of patients that have long characterised hospitals.

Enhanced Diagnostic systems

The use of software to interpret signs and symptoms to diagnose or predict critical illnesses early enough for remediation is a major plus.

Custom software can process large volumes of data to arrive at faster diagnoses, identify patterns and correlations between biological parameters to identify causes and help professionals make more informed decisions.

Today we have mobile applications that detect and interpret signs of terminal diseases such as cancer, hypertension, etc. We also have advanced machines for scans and imaging to detect and diagnose internal ailments accurately.

Professional growth

Bespoke software means individual healthcare brands can identify their business or customer satisfaction limitations and address them, exploring new opportunities for expansion. By employing software to undertake repetitive, time-consuming tasks, such as record keeping, resources are freed up to focus on other areas for improvement and productivity.

Enhanced Interoperability and Collaboration

Interoperability has been a significant challenge in the healthcare industry, with different providers using different systems and technologies that do not always communicate with each other. Custom software solutions can help healthcare providers address this challenge by facilitating data sharing, interoperability, and collaboration.

For example, healthcare providers can use custom software solutions to integrate different systems and technologies, enabling seamless communication and collaboration across different departments, organisations, and locations.

Types of Bespoke Software Solutions

There are various healthcare software systems, including practice management systems, electronic medical records (EMR), telemedicine solutions, healthcare analytics, medical imaging and diagnostics systems, and clinical decision support systems.

Electronic Medical Records Software

This is a digital database for medical institutions to collect and manage patient data and medical records. Electronic medical or health records (EMR/EHRs) are the most commonly used software applications in healthcare; as of 2021, nearly 4 in 5 office-based physicians (78%) and nearly all non-federal acute care hospitals (96%) adopted a certified EHR.

EMR software typically features; patient information tracking, storage and management of medical information, data security and medical charting and reporting. They are digital versions of patient medical records.

These systems provide healthcare providers with secure and real-time access to patient data, enabling them to improve the accuracy and completeness of the information.

Hospital Management Software

Hospital management software is a fully integrated system that assists medical workers and hospital administration in daily tasks.

It helps outline and implement policies, guarantee communication and coordination between employees, automate routine tasks, design patient-oriented workflows, advertise services, manage human and financial resources and provide an uninterrupted supply chain.

Such software often integrates with EHR solutions to help keep track of patient records simultaneously. The components of a hospital information system can be chosen and combined in the general system that meets the needs and norms of the healthcare industry and quality standards.

Medical Imaging Software

Medical imaging supplies diagnostic information on conditions such as cancer, neurological, gynaecological disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. Specialised software in this area enables medical workers to operate with MRI/CT/PET scans more effectively and create 3D models of different body systems and organs in a real-time visual representation.

According to the Statista forecast, the market size of medical imaging analytics software will exceed $4.2 billion by 2025. Combined with such technologies as machine learning, deep learning, and artificial intelligence, this software significantly enhances doctors’ expertise.

The interpretation of information provided by medical imaging software can, for example, reduce the need for surgery or indicate immediate hospitalisation.

Medical Diagnosis Software

Medical diagnosis software are computer programs that use patient information, medical history, and symptom data to list potential diagnoses, suggest appropriate treatments and medication, and support physicians in making clinical decisions.

Several types of medical diagnosis software exist, including clinical decision support systems (CDSS), artificial intelligence programs, and symptom checker applications. They also allow patients to discover and track their symptoms to arrive at a diagnosis without physically visiting the hospital.

Medical Billing Software

This type of software is designed to automate billing processes and keep track of all financial operations, such as invoicing, insurance claims, patient eligibility verification, etc., from any device within several clicks. Healthcare billing software reduces manual mistakes that can happen while transferring personal data between systems. With such a single-base program, transactions became more transparent and secure.

Telemedicine Software

Telemedicine solutions are software solutions that enable remote medical consultations and diagnoses. These solutions enable healthcare providers to deliver care to patients in remote or underserved areas. Telemedicine solutions can include video consultations, remote monitoring, and other forms of virtual care. Remote patient monitoring software track data using devices and sensors such as mobile apps, watches or other wearable devices. These devices collect data such as activity levels, medication use, vital signs, irregularities and other information, then forward it to healthcare professionals who can remotely review and analyse it.

As of 2019, the telemedicine global market was valued at some 50 billion U.S. dollars. The market was forecast to grow significantly in the future when it was projected to be valued at nearly 460 billion U.S. dollars by 2030.

The Challenges of Custom Software Development in Healthcare

While custom software development offers several benefits, it also presents several challenges. Here are some of the most significant challenges of custom software development in healthcare:

High Costs

Custom software development in healthcare can be expensive, depending on the project's scale and complexity. This can be a significant barrier to entry for smaller healthcare providers or those with limited budgets.

Time-Consuming

Custom software development projects can be time-consuming, with the development process typically taking several months to several years, depending on the project's scope and complexity. This can be a challenge for healthcare providers that need to implement solutions quickly.

Technical Expertise

Custom software development requires technical expertise, which may be in short supply within healthcare organisations. This can make it challenging to manage the development process and ensure that the final product meets the organisation's needs.

Conclusion

Need assistance in delivering healthcare services? The impact of custom software development in healthcare is significant and far-reaching.

Wazobia Technologies is a reliable partner that can take your operations to the next level. We'll take a survey through your needs and challenges, take your budget into consideration, and build the ideal solution required. We also offer team extension model where our experts work with your staff to tackle difficult projects, while you focus on busine.