An MLOps Approach for Deploying Machine Learning Models in Healthcare Systems

In recent years, there has been a remarkable increase in the use of machine learning (ML) technologies in healthcare settings. Despite this growth, a significant challenge persists: numerous promising initiatives remain confined to research laboratories, unable to make the critical transition into clinical practice. While the gap between research and production deployment affects ML projects across various sectors, the stringently regulated healthcare environment poses unique and heightened challenges. To address these challenges, MLOps has recently emerged as a specialized discipline that combines engineering best practices with operational excellence. Building upon software engineering foundations and DevOps principles, MLOps introduces a systematic approach to automating ML workflows and managing the complete model lifecycle. This paper introduces a practical and comprehensive MLOps-based framework. This framework is designed to facilitate the transformation of experimental ML models into production-ready healthcare solutions. It provides a structured approach that ensures the seamless integration of ML-powered tools into clinical environments and guarantees their reliability and compliance with medical standards, instilling confidence in their effectiveness. We are currently implementing and evaluating this framework within the "DARE – Digital Lifelong Prevention" project, a national Italian initiative aiming to harness data analytics to enhance preventive healthcare strategies across different life stages.