Programming Language Choice for Healthcare Solutions

The lack of physical freedom during the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an impressive app-usage boom in a wide variety of sectors, helping us fill the human connection void we were all craving for. Our social and working lives – but more prominently our health – became software-dependant.

The healthcare app market is currently registering a huge demand for:

mHealth apps
Telehealth and health IT systems
Wearables and fitness trackers
Software for medical devices

The programming language is the backbone of any type of software. There are a plethora of available programming languages. However, there are many crucial aspects that healthcare app developers need to take into account before making a choice. Here are some examples:

App type (e.g. mobile, wearable, website, etc.)
Supported device or platform (e.g. iOS, Android, Windows, etc.)
Security features to ensure HIPAA compliance
Maintainability to ensure long-term sustainability
Complexity of the app
The desired app features

When it comes to developing healthcare apps, there are no particular best programming languages. The developer’s choice depends – among many other factors – on the above-mentioned aspects too.

Here are the most used programming languages for healthcare apps:

JAVA

This popular and multi-purpose programming language has been extensively used in healthcare IT. A few examples would include Elinext’s Medical Practice And Billing Software or Healthcare Data Anonymization Platform.

*PROs*	*CONs*
Stable and economical to maintain	Slow performance
Platform Independent (i.e. runs on any system that supports JVM)	Poor GUI
Cross-platform development capabilities	Verbose and complex syntaxes
Easy to learn, code, and debug	No backup
Built-in security features (e.g. security manager, sandboxing, etc.)
Broad user community
Wide range of APIs

Kotlin

Kotlin is a relatively new – yet promising – Android programming language that comes with a series of advantages and disadvantages.

*PROs*	*CONs*
Open-source	Limited learning resources
Can work either natively or with JAVA	Enhanced reliability
Fully Java-interoperable	Improved error messages system that simplifies finding and fixing bugs
Intuitive and succinct syntax
Clear and compact codebase that ensures stability and consistency
Easy to maintain
Enhanced reliability
Improved error messages system that simplifies finding and fixing bugs

SQL

Designed to interact with databases, SQL allows healthcare professionals to build clinical databases, patient tracking, create charts to analyse data, create custom reports for patients, etc.

*PROs*	*CONs*
Fast query processing	Some versions are expensive
Easy to learn	Complex interface
Requires minimum coding and writing skills	Users don’t have full control over databases
Portable	Constantly under threat due to the sensitive data it holds
Highly interactive

MySQL

Thought out to manage information in relational databases, MySQL allows healthcare organizations to build complex systems such as patient portals, EHR systems, pharmacy databases, etc. The Senior Caregiving Platform developed by Elinext is a relevant example.

*PROs*	*CONs*
Enhanced security and reliability	Doesn’t support SQL check constraints
Open-source	Poor debugging tool
Portability	Development is not community-driven
Compatible with most operating systems	Certain stability issues
Easy to manage
Robust transactional support

PYTHON

A fast-growing and versatile programming language, Python is currently widely used in healthcare to create ML algorithms used in drug discovery, genomic studies, medical image diagnostics (e.g. the Pneumonia Diagnosis Tool developed by Elinext), predictive analytics, etc.

*PROs*	*CONs*
Enhanced security (HIPAA compliance)	Speed limitations
Open-source Automation	Requires extra effort for Android and iOS usage
Readable and easy syntax	High memory usage
Scalable when dealing with huge amounts of data
Extensive community support
Plethora of available libraries and frameworks
Code reusability
Interoperability and versatility
Ideal for prototypes

HTML

HTML is specifically used for building websites. Healthcare organizations use websites for online appointments, promote their medical teams and services, inform patients, etc.

*PROs*	*CONs*
Simple to learn	Requires extensive code
Browser-friendly	Restricted security
Open-source	Static language
Straightforward structure	Limited security features
Lightweight and fast to load	Errors tend to be costly
Platform-independent	Each page has to be programmed separately
Huge community support

R

Designed for statistical computing, R provides new ways to manipulate, read, and visualize data. For instance, it is the ideal choice for designing, monitoring, and analysing clinical trials.

*PROs*	*CONs*
Multiple built-in statistical functions	Slow speed
Straightforward syntax	Poor memory management
Good graphing facilities	Poor security measures
Massive community support
Cross-platform support
It can perform web scraping, data wrangling, and data cleansing
Can be used in ML
Compatible with various programming languages

C

Ideal for healthcare organizations that use old operating systems such as LINUX or UNIX, C is a general-purpose programming language. As a practical example, we can highlight Elinext’s Day Nurseries And Care Homes apps.

*PROs*	*CONs*
Serves as a building base for other languages such as C++, Java, etc.	Complex code checking
Easy to learn	Lack of exception handling
Numerous built-in functions	No code-reuse
Portable	Prone to memory corruption that affects data security
Dynamic memory allocation	No OOP concepts
Uses procedural programming	Requires manual high-level constructs
Able to extend itself
Low level of abstraction

C++

C++ is found in multiple medical apps that can range from imaging systems (e.g. Elinext’s Body Tan Scan) to EHR systems, lab testing equipment, or patient information systems.

*PROs*	*CONs*
Scalable	Uses memory-consuming pointers
Can be treated both as a low-level language and a high-level language	Security issues due to features such as pointers or friend functions
Compatible with C	No garbage collector
Full control over memory management	Very complex to learn
Portable	Does not support built-in threads
Multi-paradigm	Very strict syntax
Large community support
Useful for a wide array of apps

SWIFT

Another young general-purpose programming language, Swift is revolutionizing the healthcare sector by delivering multiple security layers, improved data encryption, simplifying coding, and acquiring a central role in new technologies such as wearables.

*PROs*	*CONs*
Open-source	Limited number of experts to hire
Improves readability and prevents errors	Poor interoperability with IDEs and third-party tools
Interoperability with Objective-C	Compatibility issues
Cross-device support
Easy to maintain
Enhanced safety and performance
Dynamic community support

Taking into consideration all the above-mentioned crucial aspects and comparing the PROs and CONs of various programming languages will help you make a sensible decision.