How APIs Are Transforming the Healthcare Sector
Today’s information technologies are capable of doing a lot more than they did in the past decades. Moreover, they have become more ubiquitous and affordable for consumers and service providers alike.
This scenario definitely applies to the health sector, which is becoming more and more reliant on scaled-up health technologies. One particularly game-changing field of technology is application programming interfaces, or APIs. These interfaces, which allow communication and data sharing between disparate applications, have taken healthcare institutions way beyond the pen-and-paper legacy systems that once drove them. Even smaller facilities like clinics, as well as startups working in healthcare for the first time, can handle data challenges like their bigger counterparts.
Ultimately, the wide usage of APIs in healthcare technology is a good thing. Innovation, better data management, and greater synchrony within large patient-provider networks are needed more than ever in saving lives and improving the quality of life.
Here’s some insight on the impact of API technology on modern healthcare, courtesy of Stoplight API design. These developments should inspire API designers to pursue more healthcare-related projects in the near future.
There’s Already a Wide Following for Products Related to Health Connectivity
When thinking about the current reach of API technology in healthcare, it’s worth remembering that much of the public already consume related services. For example, many people use either wearables or mobile apps to count the number of steps they’ve walked, calories they’ve consumed, or hours they’ve slept. These comprise of a family of services involved in “health connectivity,” an idea that marries patient health and wellness with IT. Services like these are powered by APIs, which should give the common consumer an idea of just how familiar APIs are in current healthcare technology.
