Abstract
The intersection of cloud computing and healthcare offers great potential to transform medical data storage, access, and sharing. Cloud technology enables easier access to patient records, test results, and treatment histories, promoting informed and collaborative care across healthcare facilities. It also streamlines services like prescription management and radiological imaging, reducing costs by eliminating the need for extensive on-premises infrastructure. However, this promising frontier comes with challenges, including data security and privacy concerns. Healthcare providers must ensure strong encryption, access controls, and compliance with regulations like the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Managing data interoperability across different cloud platforms while maintaining stringent security protocols is crucial. In summary, cloud computing in healthcare can improve patient care, collaboration, and cost-efficiency, but addressing data security and management challenges is essential for realizing these benefits.
TopIntroduction To Cloud Computing
Healthcare can be described as the provision of services by healthcare providers to individuals or communities to enhance, preserve, monitoring, or reinstate health (Devadass et al., 2017). The primary allure of healthcare lies in the provision of quality services that are easily accessible and competitively affordable to patients.
Globally, the trajectory of healthcare is highly anticipated to continue its growth in the foreseeable future. This anticipation is rooted in concrete factors such as anticipated changes in demographics, increasing life expectancy, and the prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases. Moreover, the healthcare industry grapples with multiple challenges, including financial constraints, the coordination of multiple service delivery partners, and the impact of aging populations. Leveraging information technology (IT) more extensively presents a promising solution to address these challenges within the healthcare industry. IT has already played a pivotal role in providing healthcare professionals with enhanced access to patient records, leading to improved decision-making. However, the untapped potential of IT extends further, offering substantial opportunities to reduce costs and enhance overall service outcomes within the healthcare sector (Ali et al., 2018).
Among these IT innovations, cloud computing emerges as a pivotal paradigm shift with profound implications for healthcare establishments and the quality of patient care. Healthcare cloud computing is experiencing a surge in popularity, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. The global healthcare cloud computing market is projected to attain a value of approximately $25.54 billion by 2024 and is expected to further expand to an impressive $89 billion by 2027. In the pursuit of delivering the finest patient-centered experiences, cloud computing has become an indispensable necessity for the healthcare sector (Magaya & Gondo, 2022).
In this chapter, we embark on an exploration of the myriad opportunities and challenges entailed in harnessing cloud computing within the healthcare domain. This examination not only illuminates the significance of cloud technology but also elucidates the compelling reasons underpinning its seamless integration into the broader healthcare landscape.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Drug Discovery: Drug discovery is the systematic process of identifying and developing new medicines to treat various medical conditions. It involves multiple stages, from target identification to clinical trials, conducted by pharmaceutical and biotechnology researchers. The goal is to find safe and effective treatments by addressing the underlying causes or symptoms of diseases, but it often takes many years of research and testing to bring a new drug to market.
Cloud Computing: Cloud computing is a technology that lets you access and use computing resources like servers, storage, and software over the internet. It eliminates the need for owning and maintaining physical hardware, offering scalability and cost-efficiency. Users can store data, run applications, and access services from remote servers, making it a convenient and flexible solution for businesses and individuals.
Digitization: Digitization refers to the adoption of digital technologies to streamline and modernize healthcare processes. It involves the transition from paper-based records to EHRs, telemedicine services, and data analytics, enabling faster access to patient information, improved communication among healthcare professionals, and more efficient healthcare delivery.
Electronic Health Records (HER): These are digital repositories of a patient's medical history and health information. They store comprehensive data, including diagnoses, treatments, medications, lab results, and more, to improve healthcare quality, coordination, and efficiency. EHRs enable secure sharing of patient information among authorized healthcare providers and institutions, enhancing patient care and reducing errors.
Medical Imaging: Medical imaging involves using various technologies like X-rays, CT scans, MRI, ultrasound, and PET scans to create visual representations of the inside of the human body. It's essential for diagnosing diseases, injuries, and abnormalities, aiding in treatment planning and monitoring, and providing non-invasive insights into a patient's health.
Telemedicine: Telemedicine is a healthcare approach that uses technology like video calls and messaging to remotely provide medical services, consultations, diagnoses, and monitoring. It enables patients to access healthcare without needing to be physically present, making it more convenient and accessible, especially when in-person visits are difficult.
Deployment Model: Deployment models in cloud computing determine where and how cloud resources are hosted. Public clouds are for the general public, private clouds are dedicated to one organization, hybrid clouds combine both, and community clouds serve specific groups. These models offer flexibility for organizations to align their cloud strategy with their unique needs, considering factors like control, security, and cost.