THE CLOUD AND DENTISTRY
By Daniel Abraham
Reprinted with permission from Dentistry IQ
contains sensitive digital information pertaining to the patient
that must be easily accessible and safely stored. Cloud
computing changes the way dental practitioners manage and
interact with this information because all of the patient's details
are stored in one centralized location offsite. This reduces the
risk of missing or scattering important client data. Moreover, it
is a cost-saver with regard to IT issues as data backups and
software updates are automated. This also cuts the need for
employees to cope with ongoing maintenance and software
training.
THE BENEFITS OF THE CLOUD
There are numerous reasons why businesses in dentistry are
modernizing their practices by making the switch to the cloud
over traditional IT or paper-based storage methods. For the
purposes of doctor-patient confidentiality, it is crucial that
information gathered in cephalometric analysis is safe and
secure.
Accessibility:
The beauty of the cloud is that you are empowered with the
ability to work anytime, anywhere. It doesn’t matter if you have
multiple offices, or if you need to work from home or are
mobile—you won’t be restricted from obtaining patient
information when you need it. Moreover, the cloud provides
you with the ability to reach out to other health-care networks
at a moment's notice.
Security:
Technology is continuously changing and progressing, and with
it, so are the dynamics of the health-care system. In order to
keep up to date, an emerging trend in dentistry is the shift from
the medium of paper-based systems; the digitized storage of
patient information on an online network known as "the cloud."
THE CLOUD AND DENTISTRY
Rather than saving data locally to your computer’s hard drive, the
term cloud computing refers to the centralization of data storage
and access over the Internet. The cloud essentially extends data
to remote servers that are synced together. This allows for
automated data storage along with other online computer
resources.
In dentistry, this technology is directly applicable to the common
practice of cephalometric analysis, a diagnostic process that
Los Angeles Dental Society Explorer
For dentists considering the cloud for their business, the
prospect of storing and sharing client information over the
Internet can appear intimidating. However, it doesn’t need to
be. The good news is when information is synchronized across
several remote servers, it is passed through multiple channels of
security and firewalls. This gives practitioners reassurance and a
heightened peace of mind when relying on the cloud.
Moreover, in the event of power outages or other potential
natural disasters, all data is securely saved and stored in a
remote location.
The benefits of cloud computing are great in the dental
industry. The advantage of unlimited access to your patients’
files, coupled with easy file sharing and cross communication
with clients, makes everyday operations that much easier. 䡲