Leveraging Intelligent Systems Technology to Deliver Next-Generation Care at the Medical Edge

April 26, 2022

Whitepaper

In the real world, the initial point of care is almost never in a hospital, clinic, or doctor’s office. It’s almost always at, what we in the technology industry, refer to as the far edge, near edge and device edge.

There, things are unpredictable. Resources are at a minimum. And where repeatability and containment were once the only characteristics that mattered, flexibility, agility, and openness are now the keys to success. In short, the environment lends itself to next-generation edge intelligence powered by continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) of advanced software capabilities.

This approach to software development is a critical enabler of AI and IoT technology, but there are additional considerations before the healthcare field can adopt it widely:

• The lack of determinism in enterprise software components that enable cloud native development and CI/CD practices is contrary to almost every electronic medical device design principle
• Cloud native capabilities are dependent on connectivity, but patient data privacy regulations like HIPAA make robust security non-negotiable in all connected medical devices
• In safety-critical systems governed by standards like IEC 62304 and FDA Class III, CI/CD can be a disadvantage because any platform changes mean it must be recertified

Just like the solutions being deployed at the next-generation point of care, medical device OEMs and systems integrators need enabling technologies that are smarter, safer, and more secure.