BJHC: Open-source software for the NHS

Dr Adrian Midgley, Dr Douglas Carnall and Colin Smith have an article (abstract only, subscription required) in the British Journal of Healthcare Computing: ‘ Proprietary software places purchasers at their suppliers’ mercy for support and customisation; lock-in is the rule. Open-source software ensures that code is freely available for anyone to download and use. Software businesses that tailor and service the software for organisations can still be profitable but will free users from supplier lock-in. Several NHS organisations are already deploying open-source software with considerable satisfaction. Open-source development methods have yet to be widely used in the healthcare domain, but there are many lessons for the developers of applications. Thanks to Dave Scott for this link.

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