title: Healthcare software assurance.
abstract: Software assurance is a rigorous, lifecycle phase-independent set of activities which ensure completeness, safety, and reliability of software processes and products. This is accomplished by guaranteeing conformance to all requirements, standards, procedures, and regulations. These assurance processes are even more important when coupled with healthcare software systems, embedded software in medical instrumentation, and other healthcare-oriented life-critical systems. The current Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory requirements and guidance documentation do not address certain aspects of complete software assurance activities. In addition, the FDA's software oversight processes require enhancement to include increasingly complex healthcare systems such as Hospital Information Systems (HIS). The importance of complete software assurance is introduced, current regulatory requirements and guidance discussed, and the necessity for enhancements to the current processes shall be highlighted.
authors.affiliation: Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research, and Innovation Center, South Charleston, WV, USA.
authors.forename: Jason G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: Keith A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Pauley
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D018795:Device Approval / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D004867:Equipment Design; D004864:Equipment and Supplies / Q000592:standards; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012308:Risk Management; D012984:Software / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D012986:Software Validation; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration