How Can the Microservices Architecture Benefit Healthcare?

Current healthcare systems are limited and outdated. Health professionals struggle to keep track of patient data, and health records are hard to access. This has a detrimental effect on treatment worldwide. So, the health sector needs to keep up with the latest IT developments to improve patient care. 

Microservices are a new development architecture, utilized to keep up with the demand for solutions. Amazon and Netflix are just two examples of worldwide companies that have enlisted a microservices architecture. But behind the headlines, microservices are becoming a major trend in digital health and healthcare. 

Microservices take the form of ‘building blocks’ to simplify the development process. Ultimately, they can offer a speedier service, improved security, and better integration across digital health systems. Here’s how the uptake of microservices can benefit the healthcare sector.

Compliance

Meeting compliance regulations like HIPAA is the priority in the development of healthcare solutions. Not meeting these requirements results in your solution never making it to market or worse making it and facing a huge fine. 

Relevant audits and checks need to be completed on your development. In larger software architectures, this can be difficult. It is challenging to isolate the necessary components for your audits. Ultimately, this results in more time spent trying to prove your compliance.

Microservices are combined like building blocks. Each individual service is naturally isolated from others in the system. This already ensures the security of private data, as it is not directly integrated into the greater system. 

As a result, compliance audits can be carried out easily within one department. The isolated component can be checked, without the need to interfere with the rest of the development. This simplifies and speeds up your privacy tests. 

Updates can also be isolated from private data and applied to only necessary components. Compliance checks do not need to be repeated with each update, saving time further down the line.

Portable

Integration of software and data on a wider level has continually been a challenge in healthcare. Large solutions developed on old systems, or old code, has been a barrier to sharing health records. This makes it difficult to keep track of treatments, and patient information. 

Microservice solutions are portable and integrative by nature. Each ‘building block’ can be used in future solutions, or integrated into other systems. This creates an interoperable landscape. 

Each microservice can be combined into your own further developments, guiding innovation. Data can be transferred between new softwares from third parties, too.

Improved portability means that healthcare professionals and patients can access the information they need with ease. They can work across multiple systems using the same data. 

Isolation

Downtime can be critical in any software development. This is especially true in digital health. Depending on the application of the solution, access to important data and patient care can be affected. Poor fault isolation and fixes can affect trust in a digital health solution. This is hard to rebuild. 

In a larger architecture, large amounts of code must be combed through to find the cause. Identifying the fault is the most difficult part. 

As each microservice is isolated to one development team, faults can be identified quickly. The fault can be referred to the appropriate team and work on updates and fixes can begin immediately. 

Smaller Departments

In a microservices architecture, each department is smaller and is responsible for a smaller codebase. This makes each component much simpler to maintain. 

Larger architectures have complex codebases that are difficult to understand. They require an intricate understanding of the system in order to make any changes. The codebase for all microservice components is smaller and easier to work with. This saves time during the development process. 

As a result, anyone can fix a singular component without any involvement from other teams within the development. This avoids overcomplicating relatively small issues or changes.

Initial Speed

Speed is imperative to the creation of solutions for the publics’ health. Professionals also benefit from access to up to date technologies and information. 

Starting a microservices architecture from scratch may take some time. However, they are generally developed quicker as teams focus on one ‘building block’ at the same time. In larger architectures, development can only take place in steps. Teams wait for each component to be built before they can move on to the next. 

Once created, new solutions can be developed quickly based on the existing microservices. Your solution can beat the competition to the market, which is key. 

This also results in a better quality of work. Developers do not need to rush to meet deadlines. Instead, they can focus on optimizing the existing microservice to meet each solutions’ requirements. 

Agility

Microservice developments are extremely agile. Keeping up to date with the latest IT technologies and changes in the health sector is key. Building a microservices architecture can facilitate your success. 

As the public’s requirements and expectations change, new solutions must be developed. As each microservice component is independent, you won’t have to redevelop an entire solution to meet demand.

This promotes innovation. Time can be spent on improving solutions and moving with the market, rather than maintenance of your current solution.

Customer Experience

People use digital health solutions to keep track of their health, provide valuable health information and to seek advice. Professionals use this data to best decide treatments and manage their patients’ health. 

Patients and professionals are the customers than depend on your healthcare solutions every day. Easy use, simple integration, good maintenance and security benefit them most. This is where you should focus your efforts. 

Microservices can help users have a better experience with your solution. Their information will be accessible and safe. 

Vertrical is a digital health development partner with a background in compliance. Contact us to discuss the development of your digital health solution today.