The importance of mHealth apps in healthcare industry

Mobile apps can certainly help many people to take care of their health & wellness, a healthier lifestyle, and also gives access to valuable information whenever they require it. These power tools are now being embraced almost as soon as they are built. As per industry reports, five hundred million smartphone consumers around the world will use at least one healthcare app by 2015, and 50% of the over 3.4 billion smartphone & tablet consumers are going to have installed moibile health apps by 2018. The government some time ago established a process of connecting medical center (and provider) reimbursement for the facilities to patient satisfaction ratings provided by HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems). Though there's significant discussion on the relationship regarding patient satisfaction with the quality of care, the system is not going away soon - at least for some time.

One of the essential drawback within the system according to David Lee Scher, MD - Owner & Director of DLS Healthcare Consulting, could make the system fail, would be the significant delay in delivering the results to the institutions. The delay goes in the order for ten months. Additionally, surveys might be provided to patients around 6 weeks once discharge. Could anyone recall exactly what his or her ER stay was like earlier on a three month hospitalization 6 weeks later when going home? There are certain apps currently available that enable patients to carry out the survey immediately. This might lead to a lot more secure data which providers could act upon much faster, that could eventually enhance satisfaction quicker. CMS isn't currently permit such type of technology. One particular issue is usually that the patients may be afraid of retribution while in the hospitalization for the negative reviews. David, further stated that this isn't a common issue in which people might expect that the criticisms might end up in positive modifications which providers ethics would overcome pride.

Nowadays, there are several patient knowledge tools available to choose from. Many are offered like a service by the pharma & medical device organizations. Some others are offered by many very good 3rd party commercial agencies. But the use of such apps is usually very low. Providers are, generally, aren't offering digital information to the patients. The mandate for the use of patient portals is just about 10% of hospitalized Medicare patients & 5% of outpatients. Additionally, the necessity for the exchange of data is quite unknown. An investment towards patient education tools will probably lead to enhanced risk management, reducing lawsuits, develop patient adherence to the medications & instructions and enable for the caregivers to get access to the information. Venture capitalists are usually made investments in the technologies which enable medical experiences with smartphones. The industry for this type of interactions has emerged like a natural development on the use of mobile technologies within the retail & financial fields along with Congressional desire for growing telehealth services.

As illustrated in the Merrit Howkins study about physician appointment wait times, insufficient access to the care, effect from in-person visits to caregivers, logistical issues for remote patients and also insufficient availablily of cost-effective care are the aspects which makes this particular technology interesting. Although many mobile health tools in use nowadays are reference apps for the healthcare providers and for the patients, there are methods through which other kinds of mobile technologies could be extremely helpful. To get maximum benefits of mHealth, you may consider hiring services of a mobile health app development company.

We provide Medical Software Development services. To outsource mhealth development needs of your organization, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

Few things to consider for successful testing of applications

Internet, today, is a fast growing world where there is a continuous need for new applications. The customers want better and faster applications than their competitors. Whether the app is meant for the web or the mobile, customers do not want to work with defective products. What they need is a properly functioning application that will work smoothly to generate the maximum benefits. Hence, it is imperative to fix all the errors before releasing an app. If the product released by you keeps disrupting the users, that would get a bad name for the company. Hence testing is a process which the developers cannot skip at all. But which factors are considered most effective for a successful testing?

Here’s a list of factors that the developers must consider to ensure that the testing process is successful:

Objective: What is the aim of the application? Unless you answer this question it is impossible to test whether that app will be effective. It does not matter if the developers are developing a web or mobile application; there should be a bunch of objectives in front of the team so that they are given priority. Your product might not be perfect but it should meet the requirements of the intended customer.

Analysis: It is essential to analyze the test results in details. The need is to find the main reason behind the success or failure of the app. If you know the thing thoroughly it will also help to deal with other problems that might arise during the testing process. As a tester it will also assist in increasing knowledge base.

Perfection: This is not possible while developing apps. But what the developers might endeavour for is a trouble free and user friendly product.

Break It Up: Divide the apps in modules, sub modules and sub-sub modules. Having independent test cases for each of them will also prove useful. This process makes testing easier. Make a matrix sheet with the necessary summary linked to the test cases. Here you can include the status of each of the test cases and refer to them every time you need by merely glancing through the sheet.

Points to include in the Test Care summary: Firstly, all the basic points should be covered that are required for developing the app or its objective. Include Data transparency and ways to deal with unexpected errors.

Tracking the Results: Once executing the test results is in progress, it will generate a number of issues and bugs which are to be taken care of. During this stage it is essential to keep, organize and distribute all the information to the appropriate teams. You also need to keep management informed about the way your testing is progressing. It is significant that you keep a track about the results and progress of the apps.

Create a Separate Environment: To ensure that the new product will work fine when the codes are moved to and fro you need to create a separate web server, application server and a database server. The existing computers might not be used to create a separate test environment. It is also crucial to test the new versions of the source codes in order to properly identify them.

Usability Testing: This process is vital as it will decide the user experience. You have done your bit by developing the app. But is that enough? The answer is definitely negative. Checking the usability is unavoidable. Whether it is a web application or a mobile one, it is required that you check whether the product will be working fine with the users. Are there any jerks or is the navigation okay?

Whilst you are busy testing your apps, it would beneficial to have a work routine prepared. This way you will know the priorities and carry out the testing procedure accordingly. This ensures that time is saved and the right steps are taken to guarantee the app’s performance. To get maximum benefits of testing, you may consider hiring services of a Agile software testing company.

We provide QA and testing services. To hire software QA analyst from us, please reach out to us at Mindfire Solutions.

How valuable is Certification for QTP Testers?

HP has renamed the QuickTest Professional (QTP) as the Unified Functional Testing (UFT) software. UFT is used widely by organizations across the world for enterprise quality assurance. It also comes with a graphical user interface (GUI) that makes it easier for users to automate the regression and functional tests for both software applications and environments. So a testing professional can learn QTP to enhance his employment and career prospects. A software testing professional can even reap a number of benefits by obtaining HP-QTP certification.

HP conducts the certification exam called HP0-M4 in collaboration with Pearson VUE. The certification exam consists of 72 questions. The professional has to answer the questions within 105 minutes, and obtain a passing percentage of 75%. The certification exam is intended for all professionals who implement test automation by creating and running test, and analyzing the test results. So each tester has to invest both time and efforts to obtain the HP--QTP certification. However, the certification will definitely enhance his professional competence and career prospects.

Benefits of HP-QTP Certification for Individual Testers

Recognition of Professional Competence: The QTP certification is directly conducted by HP in collaboration with Pearson VUE. By awarding the certification, HP formally recognizes the individual’s proficiency in Unified Functional Testing software. Thus, the certification represents the professional’s in-depth knowledge, skills and professional competence. Many professionals try to clear the HP0-M4 exam to impress prospective employers by through enhanced professional competence.

Earn Respect: As a hugely popular test automation suite, HP QTP is used widely by many organizations and testers. So there are a large number of software testing professionals who are familiar with QTP. But the number of HP-QTP certified professionals is too small. So the professional certification earns respect and prestige for the certified QA engineers. The certification also provides competitive advantage to the certification-holders in the same field.

Better Employment Prospects: A constant increase is being noted in the number of organizations automating their software testing efforts. So the demand for HP UFT software increases is on the rise. But each company wants to hire testing professionals who hold HP-QTP certification. Many companies even prefer hiring HP-QTP certified testers during employee recruitment. There are also some large and reputable companies that have made HP-QTP certification a pre-requirement for employment.

Helpful during Appraisal: Like beginners, the experienced software testing professionals can also avail competitive advantage by obtaining HP-QTP certification. The prestigious certification, along with their professional experience and expertise, will help them in getting higher rating during performance appraisal. The certification will make it easier for them to get promotion and higher remuneration. They can even use the certification to effectively switch to large and reputable organizations.

Special Benefit for Consultants: The HP-QTP certification can also be valuable for freelance professionals and consultants. As these professionals have to impress clients to get the project, the certification will provide competitive advantage. The QTP certification is granted directly by HP who has also developed the UFT software. So the QTP certification makes it easier for freelance professional and consultants to establish a benchmark. For instance, when a consultancy firm deploys only QTP-certified testers, it will be easier for prove its professional competence and impress clients.

HP further allows software testing professionals to obtain two distinct certifications, i.e., Functional Testing 11.x and Advance Scripting using QuickTest Professional 11. Like individual software QA engineers, the HP-QTP certification is also valuable for organizations. The certified professional will help the organization in hiring the right QA engineers, and train the existing employees. Further, he will help the employer in optimize automation testing processes by establishing a professional standard. Therefore, most organizations, nowadays, prefer hiring testers with HP-QTP certification. To get maximum benefits of testing, you may consider hiring services of a custom QTP testing company.

We provide QTP automation services. If you would like to get your application tested by our certified software testing experts, please contact us at Mindfire Solutions.

jRebel - What is it and what should developers know?

jRebel is a Java development tool that was formerly known as JavaRebel. This tool removes the need to redeploy the code as it will immediately change the codes and you need not restart the system. The tool is especially helpful while executing a tricky logic which you want to get right. For instance, if you want to add an approval to your structure, with the help of jRebel you can include the rules in fields, one after the other. You can keep working on the errors until the structure has been perfected. In addition if you have to add more fields to the controller or manager, you can do that too without any difficulties. jRebel will save all the application states. This factor ensures that it does not matter how you are arriving at the page you want to alter.

Things Developers Should Know About jRebel

jRebel uses the JVM, a Java agent plugin, which is a command for line option. It is easily downloadable from Java. This tool utilizes it for installation. However, do not misinterpret jRebel as an IDE plugin. Although there are certain modifications that the developers can carry out with it for a better experience but jRebel can work equally efficiently with a vanilla Java compiler and text editor. It would also be helpful for the developers to know that this is not a framework either. An application is not dependent on it. Developers can remove it anytime they want and continue with their work without any hindrance. Finally, there is no need to make any alterations to JVM while developing with this tool. It is compatible with all the major JVM implementations.

How It Works

Developers will have to integrate the tool with applications servers and JVM at the class loader level. However, instead of creating of new ones, it will extend the existing ones so that they can manage the reloaded classes. Once a class is loaded, the tool searches for an equivalent .class file from the classpath and other places that are mentioned in the rebel.xmlconfiguration file. When it finds the file it is searching for, the instruments will match it with the found.class file. The .class file is monitored as the changes are made in the loaded class. The updates are produced via extended class loader to the application. If mention in rebel.xml, it can also scrutinize .class files.

The developers can especially benefit from the fact that jRebel keeps the existing instances of the class while loading updates to it. This not only enables the application to keep running but it also does not go for a rerun when a new field is introduced.

If the programmers are using this tool then debugging gets a better solution. While chasing a bug, you research on what is happening, make changes and implement them and the effects will be shown immediately. Next time when such problems arise, the new code will break in directly once it has completed assembling the code.

Benefits of Using jRebel

There are various reasons why jRebel is used and the developers should be aware of it in order to apply this tool properly. This can be used to test and try the features of a framework together. Short codes to test the functionality of a new system can be included and the results will show immediately. The developers can also make use of the library to look for codes and install the same in the applications. Even in situations when owing to performance issues or diverse networks, the system cannot be stimulated, jRebel enables system deployment on the developer’s computer.

In addition to these, there are no restarts or intervention from this tool. This provides the developers with more chances and time to check if all is going well. They also have more time to improve things. To ensure scalability, performance and robustness, jRebel is the most convenient Java development tool available presently. To get maximum benefits of Java development, you may consider hiring services of a Java application development company.

We provide Java web development services. For all your Java development requirements, please get in touch with Mindfire Solutions.

Developing Mobile App - How To Protect User Data?

It isn’t that easy to develop a mobile application. Factors, like, app programming and marketing it are two major hurdles that the developers have to cross. But there is another aspect which demands equal attention. While developing a mobile app it is imperative to protect user data. But how can it be done? Tools should be there to ensure that users’ data will be protected properly when they are using the handheld devices. Thus, this factor has to be remembered at several stages of the app development – designing, execution and managing.

The motto should be ‘privacy by design.’ It is always preferable to integrate the privacy protection at the initial stages. It is, thus, useful if it is made sure that your business contracts comply with the rules and regulations mentioned in the Privacy Act. In order to avoid and manage the risks for protecting the personal information and other complaints in an organized manner a privacy management program is definitely required.

Secondly, managing privacy does not mean it has to be a complicated process. Anyone can develop such systems. All a business requires is to carry out a PIA or Privacy Impact Assessment which would help to take into account all the necessary issues. PIA should be conducted for every app that is developed. This tool defines a project from the privacy point of view. This describes in details about how the personal information is collected, utilized, accessed, stored, disclosed and deleted. It also analyzes how such an issue might affect the project and suggests ways to avoid any threats. Thus, it ensures that the app is modeled for impressive risk management.

Thirdly, a company needs to be transparent about such policies. There are certain points that must be included in this policy, like, how can the users contact you, how your apps gather personal information, what kind of information does it collect and store, their purpose for collection, how the personal information will be used, how the users can correct the collected information, how they will be disclosed, etc.

Fourthly, the users should be well aware about the practices so that they can provide adequate information when required. But if the Privacy Policy is too lengthy, the users will not read it. Hence, it is necessary that such a notice is short yet includes all the necessary content. But how can the developers achieve this end? They can use short form notices, include a privacy dashboard, use graphics to send across the message, etc. In addition to this the developers can also use colors to alert the users or sound to convey the policy to the disabled users.

Fifthly, acquiring user content is an important part for ensuring proper protection. Thus, it is critical when and where to introduce the consent form. The best option is to include it before they download it. Developers can include short messages that tell the users comprehensively about what will happen to their individual information.

Sixthly, it is always useful to collect only what you need. So gather personal information that you cannot do without. If there is some information which you cannot relate to the app, then avoid collecting it. In the same way delete the data that you do need anymore.

Finally, it is extremely important to secure what is collected. Put a stop to unauthorized access to prevent any modification, deletion or other forms of interference. To ensure that your app is user friendly, keep an option for the users to request the deletion of all their personal data. Avoid storing passwords in plain texts on the server and be secured while generating the credentials.

If you prepare and implement and privacy policy that is up-to-date, the mobile app will be able to protect the user data more securely. You can hire developers from top mobile app development companies in India who can help you build mobile apps within allocated budgets and time schedules.

We provide mobile app development services. If you would like to hire mobile app developers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.

Java SE8 - Why is It the Best among All Its Releases?

As a software development platform, Java Platform, Standard Edition (Java SE) is used by enterprises to create applications for a wide range of platforms and devices. Java SE makes it easier for programmers to develop and deploy Java applications on desktops and servers, and in embedded environment. It is also designed with a set of features to help developers in creating portable, secure and high-performing Java applications in an easier and faster way. Oracle released Java SE8 with several changes. Some of these changes are major, others are minor. But these features make Java SE8 the best among all its releases.

New Features that Make Java SE8 the Best among All Its Releases

Language Syntax Changes: Oracle has changes the Java language syntax to make the programming language compete with C#, Scala and other modern programming languages. The changes in language syntax will make it easier for programmers to process connections by distributing them over multiple threads. Unlike earlier versions of Java, Java SE8 comes with significant changes and addition to the language syntax. The programmers can now avail functional programming and closures while writing code in Java.

Lambda Expressions: As a major change, lambda expression enables Java developers to work as functional programmers. However, the set of syntactical capabilities is not something completely new. But the Java programmers can use lambda expressions create anonymous functions, while introducing the new anonymous function type in Java. Like a method, a lambda expression also provides a body and a list of formal parameters. The programmers can express a block of code or an expression as the body in terms of the parameters.

Improved Date and Time API: Java SE8 further allows developers to manage date and time through a completely revamped API. While creating new applications, they can replace the older classes with the new date and time API. So the new API will make it easier for programmers to streamline their code, while writing more intuitive programs. At the same time, they can further manage the different local dates, local times and time zoned by using new classes. The new classes can also be used to calculate differences between various times.

Stream API: Java SE8 further enables programmers to manage collections by adding new tools. They can use the new tools to effectively manage collections of sets, lists or maps. The new stream API will further help them in managing each item in a collection without writing explicit looping code. They can further use the API to break their processing into multiple CPUs. So the stream API will make it easier for Java programmers to optimize the management of large and complex collection of data without writing any lengthy code.

Nashorn JavaScript Engine: Java SE8 also comes with the new Nashorn JavaScript engine. As the JavaScript engine is written from the scratch for Java developers, it enables programmers to write JavaScript code, along with integrating Java classes and objects. Nashorn further implements a lightweight JavaScript runtime in Java with a native JVM. So the programmers can now embed JavaScript easily in Java applications through JSR-223. Likewise, they can also use the jrunscript command-line to create independent JavaScript applications.

Oracle has launched two distinct products that implement Java SE 8. But the Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE) 8 is designed as a subset of the Java SE Development Kit (JDK) 8. So the JDK 8 includes the features of JRE 8, while providing the APIs, JVM and other components required for running Java applications and applets. However, JRE 8 includes both standard and non-standard Java components that are not required by Java SE specification. So an enterprise must choose the product according to its specific needs to reap the benefits of Java SE 8. To get maximum benefits of Java development, you may consider hiring services of a Java web development company.

We provide Java development services. If you would like to discuss with a expert Java developer from our team, please get in touch with us at Mindfire Solutions.

Why is Python Suitable for Web Development?

A developer has option to choose from several programming language to write web applications. But many web developers prefer writing internet applications in Python as the programming language allows them to express concepts without writing longer lines of code. Along with being a high-level programming language, Python also supports several programming paradigms like object oriented, functional and programming language. At the same time, the web developers can integrate Python with other technologies to rapidly create large and complex internet applications. If you are comparing different programming languages for your web development project, it is time to understand why Python is being used widely for developing mission critical applications.

Why Python is Used Widely for Writing Rich Internet Applications?

Code Readability: Unlike other web technologies, Python is developed with features to increate the programmers’ productivity. The programming language strongly emphasize of code readability. So it enables developers to avoid writing lengthy code, while keeping their code simple, consistent and structured. The programmers have to adhere to strict indentation rules while using Python syntax. Also, the indentation in Python does have semantic meaning.

Code Reusability: Python encourages web developers to enhance code reusability by implementing modules and packages with utmost care. As an integral part of Python distribution, the web programmers can use loads of modules included in the Standard Python Library. At the same time, they can further share the break the functionality into a number of modules, and reuse them as components among other programs.

Large Standard Library: Python is hugely popular among web developers due to its large standard library. The library makes it easier for them to accomplish many tasks by using appropriate tools. The programming language further supports several standard protocols and formats including HTTP and MIME. The web developers can further use its module to manipulate regular expressions, connect to relational databases, create graphical user interfaces and conduct unit testing.

Compatibility: In addition to running seamlessly on multiple platforms, Python also has similar interface for varying operating systems. As the programming language is written in ANSI C, its design is not attached not any specific operating system. Thus, the web programmers have option to write a Python program on a Linux operating system, test the application on Mac operating system, and upload it to a Windows system. The feature helps web programmers in writing internet applications that are compatible with multiple operating systems.

Development Speed: The web developers also have option to execute Python code faster through standard implementation of CPython. CPython is written in C and meets the C89 standard. The main Python implementation compiles programs into intermediate bytecode. The intermediate bytecode can be processed by virtual machines at a much faster pace. Along with being compatible across platforms, CPython further comes with a large standard library that is written by combining C and Python. The web developers can use CPython as a command line interpreter to receive and deliver results to the user immediately.

Extensive Support: While creating large and complex internet applications, the programmers can avail the extensive support of other Python users. As the Python code can be accessed by web developers freely, they can accomplish several tasks without writing the code. Further, the programmers can avail the assistance and guidance of other Python developers to optimize the web application’s performance by adding fresh and innovative functionality.

Despite driving scalable and fast web application development, Python is still open source. So the programming language can even be used by small enterprises and startups without paying any licensing fees. The web programmers can further use several Python frameworks and implementation to reduce the development time and effort. To get maximum benefits of Python development, you may consider hiring services of a custom Python development company.

We provide Python development services. If you would like to hire Python developers from us, we would be glad to assist you at Mindfire Solutions.