Testing software in healthcare today isn't just about ensuring a button works anymore. It's about being absolutely sure that everything is correct, consistent, compliant, and moves quickly – especially when people's health is on the line.
Achieving high-quality healthcare software is only getting harder though. The rise of both AI and mobile healthcare applications is creating an increasingly complex testing dynamic for software testing teams. Mobile apps are becoming the primary interface for patients to access health information, schedule appointments, and receive remote care. AI-powered applications, while powerful and full of potential, only adds more testing layers and considerations.
This article explores key trends that are defining the current mobile healthcare testing landscape, and provides tips for teams to capitalize on each.
AI integration in healthcare applications
AI is no longer a fringe technology; it's a central component of modern healthcare, even in seemingly simple applications. While a patient-facing app might handle appointment scheduling and record access, a vast network of AI-powered systems operates behind the scenes to manage complex processes like billing, involving numerous subsystems and many different parties. The challenge lies in testing these intricate networks of interconnected APIs and sub-processors to ensure they function correctly, are auditable, and remain compliant.
To capitalize on this trend, software teams should prioritize robust API testing and invest in tools that can simulate complex, multi-party interactions. Additionally, focusing on comprehensive logging and audit trails will be crucial for maintaining compliance and debugging AI-powered systems. Finally, fostering collaboration between development, QA, and compliance teams will be essential for navigating the complexities of AI in healthcare.
Meeting patients and policyholders where they are
Healthcare doesn’t just occur in a doctor’s office or hospital anymore. Today’s healthcare apps need to meet and serve diverse user bases, including those who may be using older devices to access their healthcare plans or enroll in services. This means ensuring web and mobile applications are accessible and fully functional across a wide range of devices and operating systems, providing a seamless experience regardless of the user's technology.
With an aging global population, a significant portion of healthcare app users may be older adults who might have different technological proficiencies and accessibility needs. These users may benefit from larger font sizes, simpler navigation, and compatibility with assistive technologies. Designing and testing applications with these considerations in mind is crucial to ensure equitable access to digital healthcare services for all.
Software teams should prioritize comprehensive compatibility testing across various devices and operating systems, including older models. They should also implement user experience (UX) research specifically with diverse user groups, including older adults, to identify pain points and optimize accessibility features. Finally, integrating robust automated and manual testing strategies can help ensure the consistent quality and performance of healthcare applications for every user.
Accelerated release velocity
Healthcare is a heavily-regulated industry and may be stereotyped as “lagging behind other industries in terms of technology applications” but many healthcare companies are opting for faster software releases (bi-weekly to daily releases for example are growing increasingly common). This increased velocity is driven by the critical ability to rapidly fix urgent issues, such as problems with patient enrollment, given the scale of their customer base.
Testing in this environment demands a new level of rigor and speed. Every test must be robust, consistent, and well-engineered, with traceable records to prove its validity. These traceable records are not merely for internal quality assurance; they are often critical evidence in legal proceedings, such as malpractice lawsuits or regulatory audits.
The rise and challenges of self-healing tests
AI is increasingly applied to software testing, and self-healing features is a key development. Self-healing tests can automatically detect and fix a test script that breaks when an element on a web page is slightly changed. The system identifies the change and updates the test to ensure a feature continues functioning. However, a significant concern is that many self-healing systems don’t update the original test code—the "source of truth." Instead, they apply a temporary fix that only works within their own environment.
This creates a false sense of security, as the test would still fail if run on any other platform. Some consider this type of self-healing to be a "fraudulent feature" because the fix is not permanent and is not reflected in the core code. A truly effective and reliable self-healing feature should not only suggest a fix but also require human verification before updating the test's source code, ensuring integrity and consistency across all environments.
Sauce Labs as a testing solution for healthcare apps
Whether or not your software team is experimenting with AI or is all in, a robust platform is essential for healthcare organizations seeking to accelerate their testing and improve quality without compromising compliance. Sauce Labs helps address the unique testing challenges in this evolving industry.
Meeting velocity goals: Sauce Labs helps streamline the testing process, enabling a new level of velocity and reliability. The platform allows organizations to significantly reduce release times, which is critical for implementing faster hotfixes and daily regression testing. This focus on increasing testing speed and dependability helps teams meet their strategic goals, such as moving from a bi-weekly to a daily release schedule.
Ensuring rigor and reliability: In an industry where consequences can be a matter of life or death, every test must be solid, consistent, and well-engineered. Sauce Labs provides a platform for continuous quality that supports a high level of rigor and ensures that test records are traceable and provable.
Addressing self-healing concerns: While some self-healing systems offer a false sense of security by not updating the original test code, Sauce Labs provides solutions that focus on providing actionable intelligence. This approach avoids a "fraudulent" feature by ensuring that any fixes are intentional and verified, maintaining the integrity of the test's source of truth. This ensures that tests remain reliable and will work consistently across different environments.
Takeaways
As healthcare systems become increasingly complex and interconnected, robust testing solutions are no longer a luxury but a critical necessity. By embracing advanced platforms that prioritize integrity, compliance, and velocity, organizations can ensure the unwavering quality of healthcare systems, ultimately safeguarding patient well-being and driving the future of healthcare innovation.
Learn more about how Sauce Labs helps health insurance achieve continuous quality at every step of the software development lifecycle.
