A Cloud-Based Radiological Portal for the Patients: IT Contributing to Position the Patient as the Central Axis of the 21st Century Healthcare Cycles

Abstract

Information and communication technologies are rapidly changing the way data is managed in medicine. Patients are becoming proactive actors of their healthcare cycles and new technologies are setting the proper ground to achieve this goal. Patients need to have ubiquitous access to their medical records, especially when they have mobility needs, and cloud-based approaches are a promising solution. However, several issues arise regarding privacy and security of the data, considering legal requirements about sensitive personal data. In order to be compliant with these requirements, cloud applications need to be designed carefully, preventing by design any possible data breaches. This work proposes a design for a cloud-based radiological portal to allow patients access their medical images and reports from the cloud, ensuring that the data are only accessible when all the requirements of a specific contract are enforced. Requirements, architecture design, software components and validation methods are introduced.