Healthcare software plays a critical role in the management of patient care and has a significant influence on health outcomes. Encompassing electronic medical records (EMR) systems, telehealth applications, wearable tech, and picture archiving and communication systems, the healthcare software ecosystem contributes approximately 30% of the world’s data.
In this digitally hyperconnected healthcare environment, the collaboration between software developers and quality assurance (QA) professionals is a fundamental aspect of a successful software development life cycle (SDLC). Their partnership is crucial for a reduced-stress environment, increased productivity, and a smoother experience for everyone involved, from engineering to healthcare professionals and patients.
Let’s delve into the convoluted world of emerging software testing challenges for developers in healthcare and explore the significance of innovative approaches like automated testing in healthcare software development.
Unique Challenges in Healthcare Software Testing
Healthcare software testing bears its unique set of challenges, majorly due to the vast amount of healthcare data coupled with its sensitive nature. Developers are tasked with building systems that are not only robust and secure, but also efficient and user-friendly for a wide range of stakeholders such as clinicians, administrators, and patients.
According to a study in 2021, one in three third-party data breaches targeted healthcare organizations, indicating the attractiveness of this sector to cyber criminals. In addition, research conducted by the University of Utah highlighted that EMR systems failed to detect up to 33% of drug interactions and medication errors that could injure or even kill patients.
Furthermore, healthcare systems don’t exist in a vacuum; they’re connected with various other systems like telehealth applications, wearable technology, and picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). This interconnectivity adds layers of complexity and presents additional challenges in ensuring seamless data exchange and functionality.
Figure 1. The Hyperconnected Digital Healthcare Systems
Understanding these complexities and their implications is crucial for developers to devise effective testing strategies.
The Shortcomings of Traditional Testing Approaches
Despite the widespread adoption of test automation across various industries, the healthcare sector has been relatively slow in its uptake. According to a recent study, “Vital Signs” by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) and Keysight Technologies, a meager 15% of healthcare providers have implemented automated testing platforms.
The reasons behind this slow adoption rate are multi-layered. The inherent complexity, frequent updates, and customizations in EMR systems pose significant challenges for manual testing approaches. These systems, given their pivotal role in patient care, require rigorous testing to prevent any bugs or vulnerabilities that could impact patient safety or compromise data privacy.
Manual testing often struggles to keep pace with the rapid changes that EMR systems undergo. The HIMSS survey provided some critical insights into these struggles. Only 33% of manual testers expressed confidence in their organization’s ability to scale testing to meet new requirements. Only 38% were satisfied with the availability of clear testing analytics. And a mere 38% believed their organizations could adequately develop test coverage across all devices and browsers.
These statistics indicate that traditional manual testing methods often fall short, particularly when dealing with intricate systems like EMRs. This presents a challenge for software developers in healthcare, emphasizing the need to explore and adopt more efficient testing methodologies.
A certain fraction of healthcare developers have taken the do-it-yourself (DIY) route for software testing, combining development and testing into a single process. This approach, despite being used by over 40% of the providers surveyed, also has its downsides. Notably, a shortage of technical expertise required to maintain in-house testing solutions is a significant hurdle. Moreover, the financial implications, such as hiring specialized personnel, infrastructure investments, and software maintenance, can quickly escalate costs beyond initial budgets.
Why AI-Powered Automation is A Game Changer
In light of the challenges posed by manual and DIY testing approaches, automated testing emerges as a strong contender. AI and ML-equipped automation tools offer a wide range of benefits, including test case generation, test execution, and reporting. They’re able to handle these tasks with an efficiency that manual testing just can’t match. What’s even more promising is the growing interest in real-time analytics.
According to the study, a staggering 77% of healthcare providers are planning to adopt real-time analytics in the next five years. Early adopters of automated testing solutions have already experienced these benefits.
Figure 2. Test automation improving testing analytics by 1.8X
A substantial 80% of them expressed satisfaction with their organization’s ability to provide clear, actionable testing analytics. Better testing analytics enables AI and ML algorithms to analyze historical patterns, prioritize test cases, and automatically generate critical tests for various platforms, devices, and operating systems, delivering more consistent and reliable results.
The Future of Healthcare Software Quality Assurance
Healthcare software testing stands at a critical juncture, transitioning from traditional manual methods towards more efficient, automated approaches. This shift is driven by the unique challenges posed by the healthcare landscape and the need to ensure software quality and patient safety.
Healthcare organizations are beginning to understand the limitations of manual and DIY testing approaches, from scalability issues to hidden costs. The adoption of automated software testing offers a promising solution to overcome these challenges. It provides an opportunity to prioritize patient safety while ensuring the delivery of high-quality software.
Software developers are at the forefront of this transition. With a deep understanding of these challenges and the benefits of automated testing, they can play a pivotal role in designing, developing, and testing EMR systems that are robust, secure, and efficient.
This guide aimed to offer software developers an in-depth understanding of the unique challenges in testing EMR systems and the need for innovative approaches like automated testing. By acknowledging these challenges and adapting to the ever-evolving healthcare landscape, developers can continue to deliver high-quality, patient-centered software.
For a more detailed exploration of the HIMSS survey findings and the best practices in healthcare software testing, download the full report HERE.
