The internet of things (IoT), big data and, ultimately, transformational digital health promise to greatly raise the standard of what can be accomplished in a software-driven health care universe. Wearable devices can collect patient data on everything from blood pressure to glucose levels to heart rhythms. Big data can identify trends, compare them to population health norms and determine how a patient is faring with his/her current treatment plan. This information can then become accessible to all participants in the care ecosystem -- including patients, physicians and specialists -- through their mobile devices as part of a universal health record.
All of these new capabilities are made possible by a new generation in health IT that puts software at the core of the entire ecosystem. Essentialy, this is Software 4.0.
The idea of Software 4.0 is similar to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or Industry 4.0, which is focused on automation and data exchange in manufacturing technologies. It combines cognitive computing, the internet of things, cyber-physical systems and cloud computing to enable a smart factory.
In the same way, Software 4.0 can be used to describe the new evolution in the digital health care ecosystem. Comprised of many facets, this new generation of software brings together key methodologies and best practices, such as continuous integration, hackathons, DevOps and agile development, to quickly and constantly deliver hyper-personalized user experiences that make digital transformation a reality.
The Collaborative Approach Required Today
By requiring a more collaborative and iterative approach to software development, today's Software 4.0 approach breaks down the siloes found in traditional software development processes. Today, software development must be a collective team effort with a framework that enables collaborative ideation. In order to accomplish this at speed, design thinking must become an essential part of the work culture.
Initiatives such as hackathons, which transform health IT ideas into reality, and design thinking are great at pushing the envelope of ideation, but the iterative processes of agile and DevOps can bring those ideas to reality.
The concept of Software 4.0 is to unify all of these multi-tiered concepts into one holistic working model that provides everything to evolve and serve the holistic needs of a software-driven health care universe.
Software 4.0: The Design Thinking Approach
The root of every software-driven initiative within health care begins with design thinking, the principle of engaging a broad set of stakeholders in an open and collaborative way to develop solutions. It is a methodology in which a wide range of inputs and options is considered and then narrowed down to the critical and essential choices for consideration in the final design. One way to look at this is to consider the patient experience as a series of connected moments that involve interactions with a broad range of stakeholders.
A design thinking methodology is comprised of three key stages, including the discovery stage, where you assess the current patient experience and identify opportunities for improvement; the design stage, where ideation and creation begin; and the development stage, where you implement the solution.
What lies at the core of Software 4.0 and a design thinking transformation, however, is big data, which allows companies to track the performance of these components and understand how they are impacting the full spectrum of digital health. Big data must be able to measure everything from patient wait times to rehospitalization rates to predictive analytics. It must be able to identify health risks and recommend treatment. To accomplish this, no single development methodology is enough.
Defining The Impact Of Software 4.0
A recent survey forecast that 92% of life sciences companies and 96% of technology companies plan to increase their investment in digital health care. Similar to the Industrial Revolution, which led to mass production of goods at affordable costs, the Software 4.0 revolution will improve the way we manufacture, distribute and operate every system in health care.
In the days, months and years ahead, watch for the successful disruptors that utilize Software 4.0 processes to enable them to deploy features in production, very rapidly, several times in a day. Disciplined processes that are automated, which also leverage tools and integrate teams to work across all aspects of software development, will break down the roadblocks to improved outcomes, resulting in more cost-effective and efficient care. The process of innovation is a collective team effort, and Software 4.0 will deliver the framework for collaborative ideation. For software-driven health care to evolve and meet its full potential, institutionalized design thinking must be part of the work culture of the future.
