Integration of Mobile Computing and Cloud Computing in Healthcare

Background: The integration of mobile computing and cloud computing has the potential to revolutionize healthcare delivery by providing ubiquitous access to resources and enabling new service development and delivery models. While cloud computing has been extensively studied in fields such as genomics and molecular medicine, its application in healthcare beyond these domains remains relatively unexplored. This scoping review aims to identify the current state and emerging research topics in cloud computing in healthcare outside of the traditional “OMICS context.” Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in MEDLINE in July 2013 and December 2014 using keywords related to cloud computing and cloud-based services. The identified journal and conference articles were independently categorized and summarized by two researchers, who subsequently consolidated their findings. Results: A total of 102 publications were analyzed, revealing six main topics in cloud computing in healthcare: telemedicine/teleconsultation, medical imaging, public health and patient self-management, hospital management and information systems, therapy, and secondary use of data. Common features utilized in these applications included broad network access for data sharing and access, as well as rapid elasticity to meet computing demands. While some articles highlighted the cost-effectiveness of pay-per-use cloud services, only 14 articles reported successful implementations, with many publications focusing on conceptual or prototypic projects. Additionally, several articles equated cloud computing with internet-/web-based data sharing, failing to illustrate the unique benefits of the cloud computing paradigm. Conclusions: Although the integration of mobile computing and cloud computing in healthcare is gaining attention, successful implementations in the field are still limited. Many papers use the term “cloud” interchangeably with “virtual machines” or “web-based” without clearly demonstrating the advantages of the cloud paradigm. Data safety and security concerns associated with involving external cloud partners remain significant barriers to adoption in the healthcare domain. As of now, cloud computing is primarily favored for its individual features, such as elasticity, pay-per-use models, and broad network access, rather than as a comprehensive cloud computing paradigm.