You’ve probably heard about cloud computing, but the benefits of using it in healthcare are more far-reaching than you might think. It improves patient care, security, privacy, and efficiency, all while reducing costs.
How It Works
With telehealth and remote patient monitoring becoming more popular, cloud technology makes information more accessible for providers and patients. Some of the ways cloud computing software impacts healthcare is that it makes it easier for patients to access their health records and make appointments with physicians.
Now that we know how cloud technology improves patient care, let’s discuss its other uses in healthcare, like cutting costs and improving efficiency.
Patient Records
Using the cloud to manage patient records and other healthcare processes can cut down on paperwork and allow information to be accessed from multiple locations. Cloud computing enables providers to reduce time and costs on tasks such as appointment scheduling, patient data entry, and prescription management.
Sharing Medical Images
From the patient’s perspective, there are many advantages to digitally sharing medical images. For one, it is easy to show the doctor or nurse detailed images of a condition without the need to carry prints or drives to each appointment. The time this can save aids diagnosis.
Cloud-based applications allow physicians and nurses to access healthcare information from anywhere at any time. The advancement of cloud computing means that hospitals can provide more efficient patient care by having all their resources available at the same time. Patients benefit from reduced wait times while also ensuring that their sensitive information is protected.
Access From Multiple Devices
Since many physicians use devices like smartphones and tablets in their clinical work, it’s clear that healthcare professionals prefer the ease of access from anywhere at any time. Accessible information also means improved health outcomes for patients.
Cloud-based systems are well-equipped to handle the influx of new information as hospitals and other healthcare facilities go digital with patient records. The use of cloud computing software to manage data is also imperative to keep up with the competition in the industry.
Cloud Security
Another way cloud computing software impacts healthcare is security,which is critical to the medical industry. Providers need to be able to maintain security and privacy to do their job. When a data center is compromised, it can cause significant downtime and loss of service, which negatively impacts the entire healthcare system.
Cloud services with multiple data centers are well-equipped to handle such situations efficiently because they can switch between data centers immediately if one is compromised. This flexibility enables healthcare professionals worldwide to continue treating patients while remaining compliant with all necessary regulations regarding patient health information. In essence, cloud computing is easy to use and makes data accessible from anywhere you have an internet connection.
Christina Duron is a writer living in the Chicagoland area. Her passion for writing and health helps create thought-provoking and engaging pieces and hopes to use them to empower readers to play a more active role in their personal healthcare journey.