Healthcare Industry and Software Testing

The Healthcare industry has become really advanced after the advent of different technological gadgets, machinery, and software. There are hundreds of machineries running in the hospitals providing smarter and better healthcare to the patients. Let it be the simplest of tasks like checking the temperature of the patients or complex tasks like surgeries, you can find technology doing magic for the patients and doctors as well. No one can deny the benefits technology is bringing for humanity.

However, with all these benefits, comes the costs the healthcare industry has to pay and we are not talking about money here but something even more precious. Having an online presence and technology doing all your tasks put you at the stake of getting hacked and your sensitive data were stolen. Moreover, cybercriminals can enter into the systems, stay hidden for as long as they want, and steal the data causing harm to the hospital, its employees, and even the patients. That is why a lot of members of the healthcare industry have started suggesting to get software and systems tested by an independent software testing company twice a year.

Why Should Hospitals Get their Systems Tested?

The debate of whether the software should be tested once or twice a year is an on-going debate and it might still take years to reach its final decision. However, the whole healthcare industry is aware of the fact that software testing is important. No one can deny the importance of software testing in saving companies from getting into trouble. If you are still wondering why your hospital with dozens of software needs to be tested every year, we have gathered some reasons for you.

Continuous Growth

Deloitte recently shared that their healthcare industry is growing at a rapid speed. They even suspect that by 2021, the industry would be boomed to be worth $280.25 billion with hundreds of more software and platforms bought and used. The annual growth rate is going to increase by 15.9%, which is a great hike for a year. This clearly shows how much is going to be invested in this industry and this is going to attract even more cybercriminals to hack into the deployed electronic health records, mobile records and mobile apps hurt the privacy and reputation of the hospital.

Following the Guidelines

Given the importance of software testing and the growing number of cyberattacks, the government of a lot of countries has given strict guidelines that need to be followed to keep providing services. These guidelines are designed with cyber threats in mind and have managed to stop a lot of attacks right from the start. Following these guidelines and having systems and software tested every year ensures a hospital is working as per requirements of the country and does not get banned or fined.

The Cost of Life

A lot of hospitals are using systems and machines to support the life of their patients. Let it be machines used in the operation theatres or in intensive care units to support the life of the patients, it is clear that human life is depending on these machines. At the back of these machines, a lot of sequences of zeros and ones are going in chains to have certain actions performed. These softwares need to be checked and maintained by an independent software testing company to ensure their proper functioning. Remember failure of one software means losing the life of either one or multiple patients and along with it the reputation, trust, and respect of the hospital too.

Secure Medical Data Exchange

There is always a need for data exchange in the healthcare industry. The data is always flowing from helpdesk to doctor, from doctor to pharmacy, from the radiologist to doctor, and in a lot of other directions as well. Between these flows of data, there is always room for data to be captured and used for wrong purposes. Having your software and systems tested to ensure that no leakage happens at the points of flow and the data is only available to the authorized people. You can implement the most strict policies and make multiple checks to ensure the safety of the data flow but when leakages happen, it is hard for you to even notice so it is better to prepare for it beforehand.

Better Performance and Integrity

As we have discussed before that a lot of information is flowing from one way to another in the healthcare industry so all of these softwares need to work in harmony. Working without proper integrations can mess up everything and the information will lose its real meaning. Hence, having an independent software testing company having your back ensures that all of the systems and software you are using are connected well with each other through proper integrations. Moreover, it helps discover all the possible vulnerabilities and issues present in the system and software to fix them for better performance.

The Final Word

The Healthcare industry is one of the richest, technologically advanced, and important industries of the world. Humanity will cease to exist without this industry working properly and to its fullest. That is why this industry needs to grow and become technologically advanced and stronger over time. However, having these software and systems tested once or twice every year ensures proper working, good performance, and better results. It does not matter if you decide to get your systems and software tested once or twice a year, what matters the most is that you are working towards providing better services to your clients.

It is evident that without proper testing and maintenance of your systems and software, you would not be able to provide good services to your clients and cybercriminals can take benefit of this too. This will bring your business down and the trust of people in you. If you have not gotten your organization’s security tested before, it is the right time that you sign up for it before it gets too late for that!