Going digital-first has become a focus for many companies across the world, especially when the world shut down for a few months in March 2020 due to the Covid pandemic. Healthcare is an industry that is known to be more conservative but many are looking to implement different digital solutions to disrupt the processes in the sphere. With new technologies implemented, more jobs are opening in the industry globally. Following the trend, we wanted to explore what qualities make up the perfect developer working on HealthTech projects. That’s why we reached out to Beetroot, a preferred partner of HealthTech companies in developing their software solutions, and a social enterprise aiming to create a sustainable impact at scale.
Challenges in creating healthcare solutions
Similar to other industries, the digitization process in healthcare requires a systematic approach to creating solutions to benefit users. Starting with a clear vision and purpose is the first step on this path. This allows developers to clearly define what they need to build, and what are its benefits. Creative thinking is also very important, as engineers need to find the right approach to implementing the latest innovative technologies, such as AI, cloud, machine learning, and IoT, into the solution.
However, this sphere has some specific challenges that need to be taken into account before developing a certain solution. Firstly, you have two very specific target groups – patients and caregivers, which require special attention. The solutions in healthcare should provide seamless use and integration for caregivers, together with strong privacy and security that will guarantee a patient’s personal data is protected.
“To deliver a valuable healthtech solution, we need to consider four essential aspects: compliance, interoperability, data security, and accessibility. For example, our current R&D project is a telenursing app providing a user-friendly, highly secure platform for patients and caregivers to interact through multiple channels. We use a combination of APIs and microservices to manage the collected telemetry data in the cloud. Furthermore, since the app operates protected health information, we ensure it complies with the designated market’s regulations like HIPAA in the U.S. or GDPR in the EU,” explains Natali Piantkovska, Business Analyst at Beetroot.
Requirements for the developers
Having the right technological knowledge is a must for every developer, and they’re not really dependent on the industry, but on the solution. Beetroot looks for developers who have expertise in Python, JavaScript, .NET, React, Angular, and Swift, among other languages and frameworks. The company also uses a lot of predictive and real-time analytics which requires knowledge of Data Science and Machine Learning.
Problem-solving mindset is one of the key skills a developer needs to possess. This helps them to be independent and find the right approach to solving any issue that pops up. However, this doesn’t mean that developers are being left alone. And this leads to collaboration and communication, two of the other very important skills. Through them, engineers can share knowledge and experience which guarantees the seamless work of any product.
“As an international company, we need to find a way to keep people motivated in a remote environment and take into consideration the different cultural backgrounds of our people. That’s why we need developers that are proactive,” Tatiana Boichenko, Chief People Officer at Beetroot shares.
Alignment with the company mission and values is also of great importance, so creating impact and working toward a more sustainable world is key for Beetroot.
Impact on the global level
Building healthcare products envisioned to be used at the international level is part of the company’s vision since its establishment in 2012 when Andreas Flodstrom built the first remote teams for Swedish companies in Eastern Europe. This mission has been a driving force for Beetroot’s growth in the past decade.
“Among other priority industries, we pay special attention to AI, GreenTech, EdTech, and HealthTech, as they directly contribute to people’s well-being and improve their quality of life. Beetroot has implemented dozens of projects in these fields over the past ten years. A huge part of them was related to diagnostics, patient monitoring, and scientific research,” Kamen Bochev, CEO of Beetroot Bulgaria highlights.
Ever since its foundation, the company has worked on 500+ projects and has developed R&D teams in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Poland, and Sweden. All this happening is led by the mission of offering equal opportunities for people from all backgrounds, creating sustainable impact, and learning opportunities for people in these countries.
