Telemedicine applications are becoming increasingly popular in healthcare. Knowing about telehealth app development is beyond the scope of other development efforts. To develop a telehealth app, you must consider design, regulatory requirements, and more.
The digitalization of medicine is an essential achievement of IT. Through this process, people can get help related to their health online. Since the pandemic, this opportunity has been primarily in demand because, on the one hand, it helps to reduce the workload on doctors. On the other hand, telehealth app development helps reduce queues in medical institutions' corridors. The functionality of telehealth applications is not limited to online consultations. The field of mHealth (mobile health) is very diverse. Statista said that as of the second quarter of 2024, there were approximately 36,260 telehealth applications from the Google Play Store, representing a 20% decrease compared to the previous quarter. This decline contrasts with the growth observed between early 2020 and late 2021, when the number of mHealth apps for Android users increased, reaching over 65,300 by the last quarter of 2021.
Telehealth systems worldwide face immense pressure due to increasing populations, ageing demographics, and the persistent shortage of medical care professionals. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the projected shortage of up to 121,900 physicians by 2032 highlights the urgent need for alternative software. Telehealth apps have emerged as a viable software, addressing accessibility, efficiency, and patient-centric care.
The mHealth development industry continues to redefine how we access and deliver medical services globally. As telehealth becomes more entrenched in modern lifestyles, the demand for sophisticated mHealth applications is skyrocketing. Understanding medical tendencies, ensuring regulatory compliance, addressing user needs, and leveraging cutting-edge technologies are all highly important for VITech when creating a telehealth app. This comprehensive guide explores the step-by-step process, challenges, tendencies, and critical considerations in developing a successful mHealth application.
Mobile applications are a new way of interacting with reality, and people have successfully adapted to them. We shop, find out the news, study, communicate, and spend our free time using apps.
Receiving medical care through a smartphone will soon become routine. To be chosen from competing applications, you must make a mHealth app that meets the target audience's needs.
mHealth telemedicine apps for medical centres can be divided into two broad categories: client and internal applications. Please read this before proceeding to the section on developing a telehealth app.
Clinic-branded telehealth apps replicate the in-clinic experience by offering functionalities like appointment booking, real-time consultations, and easy access to medical records. Patients can also receive reminders for vaccinations, annual check-ups, and routine screenings, enhancing preventive care.
Here are some client applications for clinics:
Brand application of the clinic. These applications are portable copies of clinics: they can find the schedule, make appointments, consult, and store medical records. A telehealth application that allows the doctor to respond to the patient in real time creates a close connection with users and increases their loyalty.
Health scanner apps. These apps help clinics map patients' health based on outside data, such as research, blood test results, and intelligent device readings.
Application for transcribing and storing test results. Medical laboratories also use mHealth applications to give patients quick access to test results. There is no need to send SMS notifications or visit the laboratory: you need to have a password to your account in the mHealth application, and you will always be informed about your medical issues.
Administrative apps
Administrative telehealth apps streamline clinic operations by automating them and managing patient scheduling, billing, and staff coordination. They help optimize all management processes and give doctors more time for patient-focused activities while reducing manual errors.
Internal telemedicine apps are a channel designed to administer clinics and communicate with doctors. They are intended for telehealth providers. They focus on streamlining operations, enhancing collaboration, and improving patient outcomes. Such products can be divided according to the different tasks performed:
Client mHealth applications prioritize patient convenience and care accessibility by allowing users to interact with doctors and offering tailored software that addresses specific needs. Health monitoring apps are designed to track metrics like sleep quality, heart rate, activity levels and other parameters. It promotes lifestyle changes by providing users with insights into their health. Telehealth providers, laboratories and diagnostic centres can safely access the collected patient data. Securely sharing sensitive patient data allows for delivering patient test results quickly and securely, ensuring a more personalized approach to medical care. Client mHealth apps often include explanatory notes, enabling users to understand their results and take timely action.
On-demand care apps offer the ideal tools for treating minor illnesses, refilling medication, or getting a second opinion. They connect patients with doctors or specialists anytime, addressing urgent but non-emergency health concerns.
Knowledge-based telemedicine apps inform providers about the latest medical advancements, enabling evidence-based care. Telehealth professionals rely on these apps to access up-to-date medical guidelines, clinical research, and drug databases.
Collaboration telemedicine apps. Seamless communication between medical teams is vital for delivering coordinated care. Collaboration mHealth apps allow providers to share patient information, discuss cases, and make real-time joint decisions. Features like video conferencing, secure messaging, and document sharing enhance team efficiency.
Telemedicine apps play a critical role in tackling some of the most pressing medical care challenges:
Enhancing cost efficiency
Many individuals, especially those without insurance or high out-of-pocket costs, can not afford medical care. Telemedicine reduces financial burdens by minimizing the need for in-person visits, travel expenses, and associated costs such as childcare or taking time off work. Providers also benefit from increased efficiency, allowing them to serve more patients in less time. It optimizes the medical care delivery process, allowing physicians to see more patients in less time. Telemedicine reduces costs for both patients and medical care systems.
Improved chronic disease management
Telemedicine apps streamline the treatment of several chronic conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, or COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Treating those diseases requires regular monitoring and consistent communication with medical professionals. Healthcare apps enable patients to share health data, track symptoms, and receive timely advice from their care teams. Wearable devices integrated with telemedicine platforms provide continuous data streams, empowering proactive intervention before complications arise.
Overcoming time constraints for medical personal
Medical professionals' daily schedules are often overburdened with routine management tasks. This leads to limited availability of healthcare staff to patients. Telemedicine apps enable more efficient appointment management, reduce administrative tasks, allow providers a choice of remote medical consultations, optimize their time, and avoid unnecessary delays.
Postpandemic telehealth development
Even as the world returns to normalcy, mHealth remains a preferred mode of medical care delivery. The convenience and efficiency of virtual care do not need any additional proof for patients and providers. It causes a sustained demand for telemedicine services. Employers also recognize telehealth's value as part of employee wellness programs. The COVID-19 pandemic played a transformative role in the telehealth industry, accelerating adoption at an unprecedented rate. During the crisis, telemedicine apps became necessary to address concerns about infection risk, social distancing, and overburdened hospitals. A surge in telemedicine use during the pandemic
lockdowns and quarantine measures disrupted traditional medical care delivery, leaving patients with no choice but to turn to virtual care. Between March and May 2020, telemedicine usage in the US increased by over 400%, according to McKinsey & Company. The demand encompassed general consultations, physical therapy, post-operative care, and mental health support.
The components used in telemedicine apps may vary from one product to another and depend on the needs of the practice or medical care facility. Typically, each application will contain some core components, including:
Let's take a closer look at each one to explore what they do and how they can improve the overall functionality of a telemedicine application.
High-quality video conferencing is at the heart of many telemedicine software.
The quality of this component is vital for many reasons, not the least of which is that the doctor must hear the patient provide proper medical care.
Audio glitches and dropped calls can pose serious problems, especially when telehealth involves psychotherapy that requires consistent and clear communication.
When developing a telemedicine application, consider integrating the following features:
Regarding video conferencing software that can be integrated into a telemedicine application, the current market for third-party video conferencing software offers many opportunities.
How to ensure that telehealth video conferencing is HIPAA-compliant?
Adhering to telehealth regulations is one of the most critical challenges in developing a telemedicine app. In most countries, some oversight of telemedicine apps is required. However, the rules vary from one region to another or from one country to another.
Anyone developing a telemedicine application should work with their team to ensure the application complies with state or federal requirements.
Telehealth regulations may include several aspects of telemedicine, including but not limited to:
Consideration of the confidentiality and privacy of patient data is paramount in all of these endeavours.
Registering patients and maintaining their files is a complex and time-consuming undertaking for medical practice.
Registration, in particular, is a problem for many patients.
Thus, a telemedicine application's digital recording and file management can reduce many stressors in practice.
Incorporating these features into telemedicine software can reduce work time and improve patient care.
Electronic health records are another essential component of telemedicine applications.
Electronic medical records help doctors provide quality care. Patients are also required to access biometric data and lab and test results.
As previously stated, EMR data must be secured as a part of the telehealth application.
In many countries, patients' privacy is at the heart of many of the rules set in the medical care industry.
Given the importance of protecting patient data, many medical care facilities and businesses may already have EMR management applications.
Ideally, the telemedicine application will integrate with these existing software to provide the most streamlined response to the telemedicine provider's needs without introducing unnecessary complexity or new risks to patient data.
Telemedicine applications also often include payment interfaces to facilitate patient billing and payment processing.
These components may include collecting and managing expenses, analyzing billing, and generating reports. Popular third-party payment software can simplify patient reconciliation.
When creating a mHealth application, you must consider many nuances. We have compiled a list of essential steps to help you follow the right path and avoid many mistakes in telehealth app development.
Developing a telemedicine app involves a well-structured process, from market research to deployment. Each step is essential to ensure the app's success.
Step 1: research and planning
Profound market research is essential to developing a successful app. Understand has provided an understanding of the current position in medical care, user pain points, and competitive offerings. Determine the tasks and problems the telehealth application will solve and why it will be helpful. Highlight the mHealth application's primary purpose, conduct a market analysis, and see which niches need mobile products most.
Define clear goals for your telemedicine app, such as improving patient access to care or enhancing provider efficiency. Remember that creating a clone of an existing application is a road to nowhere. Therefore, it is crucial that your product stands out from the competition and provides some new opportunities.
Questions to address during planning
Step 2: look for the target group
When analyzing a region's market, it is crucial to identify your mHealth app's target group. Another important step is to understand demographic segments, consider geographical features, and consider potential users' preferences and problems. The telehealth application must cover the target audience's needs; otherwise, it will fail.
Identify and segment your audience based on age, health conditions, and geographic location. It helps tailor the app's features to meet specific user requirements.
Key audience segments:
Rural populations: focus on accessibility and offline functionality.
Elderly users: design with larger fonts, straightforward navigation, and caregiver support.
Healthcare providers: incorporate efficient communication, record management, and teleconsultation features.
Step 3: Select an application type. Marketing research will help you determine what kind of application is most needed in a particular region. Conduct the market research carefully. It will let you know what users need, and you can create an application that is not in demand.
Step 4: develop a business model
Outline how the mHealth app will generate revenue and cover operational costs.
Make sure you want to use one of the standard revenue models:
Allow users to pay for selected features or services.
Users choose a specific subscription plan and pay monthly or annually for access to all or only premium features.
Look for partners from other healthcare-related businesses to cooperate with them in displaying targeted advertisements in your application.
Step 5: design and prototyping
Use wireframes and prototypes to visualize the app's layout and create user-friendly design and functionality. Use prototyping tools, design interfaces, or provide interactive mockups for testing user flows.
Step 6: Develop an MVP (minimum viable product)
Start with a minimal version of the MHealth app that includes only essential features. This will improve the app's viability and allow users to gather feedback for future improvements.
Core features for an MVP:
Step 7: develop a business plan. If you want to reduce risks and get more chances to attract investments, you need to draw up a business plan. Include all the vital information:
Step 8: consider UI/UX design. An attractive design is essential for any application, but the visual aspect is one of many considerations. To provide a good user experience, you must combine a user-friendly, good-looking interface with functionality and ease of use.
Application design should be consistent and intuitive. Its purpose is to smoothly lead the user to the endpoint. The design should also be user-friendly; the fewer interaction points, the better the user experience.
Step 9: start developing the application. All the essential points have been considered and worked out. Now, you can start creating. We recommend starting with an MVP containing only the main features, but you can evaluate the product's viability with minimal investment.
Step 10: the importance of deployment and quality assurance
Before launching, rigorously test the app to ensure it functions as intended.
Testing focus areas:
Performance testing: verify the mHealth app's speed and reliability under various conditions.
Security testing: ensure robust protection against breaches and data leaks.
Compatibility testing: confirm that the telehealth app works seamlessly across devices and operating systems.
Deploy the app on popular platforms like iOS and Android and provide regular updates based on user feedback.
The optimal composition for the development team
The telemedicine app development cost depends on demand and the feature's complexity, which defines the team size for development. Usually, the development team composition is the following:
Two front-end developers focus on the app's user interface and experience.
Two back-end developers, who handle server-side operations and database management.
UI/UX designer who creates visually appealing and intuitive designs.
QA engineer, who tests the app for bugs and ensures optimal performance.
The project manager coordinates the team and keeps the project on track.
Related: Hire dedicated development team: the ultimate guide for businesses
Telehealth app development costs will vary significantly from project to project. However, a fully functional telehealth application will likely require more than 2000 hours of work from several developers.
The cost of developing a telemedicine app is thousands of US dollars. However, there are alternatives, including developing software that integrates with existing software in practice, which can reduce development/back-end time and cost.
VITech's telehealth application development experts can create the software according to your requirements.
Related: Healthcare application development trends in 2022
The telemedicine industry is continuously driven by technological advancements and is undergoing a transformative phase as it tries to meet patient needs and expectations. Developers can create impactful software that redefines care delivery by addressing challenges, embracing cutting-edge technologies, and focusing on inclusivity. The journey ahead promises unparalleled innovation, bringing us closer to a future.
As technologies like AI, IoT, and blockchain mature, telemedicine apps will become more sophisticated, offering predictive analytics, improved medical care, and a more personalized user experience.
Let's explore new emerging tendencies and their implications for the future of healthcare. Those tendencies are shaping the development of telemedicine apps, offering enhanced software for medical care providers and patients.
The increasing demand for accessible telehealth software and new technological advancements allow the telemedicine industry to expand significantly.
AI will be more significant in diagnostics, virtual assistants, and personalized care. For example, virtual health assistants can guide patients through treatment plans.
AI-powered tools can identify anomalies in medical images with high accuracy.
Increased wearable adoption and continuous health tracking
Wearable devices like blood glucose monitors, blood pressure cuffs, and pulse oximeters collect and transmit patient data, enabling doctors to monitor patients' vital signs and health metrics between visits and enhance preventive care.
Data security
Given the sensitive nature of patient information, data security is a top concern in telemedicine app development. As data privacy concerns grow, blockchain will become a standard for secure and transparent data management, ensuring confidentiality and compliance.
The preventive role of telemedicine
Preventive care is a growing focus area, and mHealth apps that monitor vital signs, analyze lifestyle data and offer proactive health recommendations will become increasingly popular, reducing the burden on telehealth systems.
Accessibility and global expansion
As internet connectivity improves worldwide, telehealth apps will reach more underserved populations, breaking down geographic barriers to healthcare. Governments and NGOs will likely invest in telehealth apps to ensure equitable access.
Integration with holistic health ecosystems
The holistic approach of comprehensive telehealth software will integrate with broader health ecosystems, including fitness, mental wellness, and nutrition.
Sustainability in healthcare
mHealth continues to transform the medical care landscape. Telemedicine supports sustainability by reducing environmental impact of medical industry. Virtual consultations lower carbon emissions associated with travel, while digital records decrease paper usage.
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR)
Virtual and augmented reality technologies are reshaping telemedicine by offering immersive and interactive mHealth experiences.
Virtual physical therapy: patients recovering from injuries can use VR to perform guided exercises in a simulated environment.
Enhanced patient education: AR overlays can visually explain complex medical conditions or surgical procedures to patients.
Remote training: AR enables medical professionals to learn new techniques or receive real-time guidance during procedures.
Enhanced video features
To take videoconferencing to the next level, some telehealth apps include:
Appointment scheduling
Integrated scheduling systems in telehealth apps allow patients to easily book, reschedule, or cancel appointments. Automated reminders reduce no-shows, benefiting both patients and medical care providers.
Health monitoring tools
Many telehealth apps integrate with wearable devices and IoT-enabled health gadgets to track vital metrics such as glucose levels, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation. These tools allow patients to fully control their health while providing clinicians with accurate, real-time data for better decision-making.
Secure Messaging
Telehealth apps often include encrypted messaging platforms that allow patients to ask questions, share concerns, or send images and documents securely. It fosters better communication between patients and medical professionals.
Medication management
Telehealth platforms can offer features like prescription renewals, medication reminders, and pharmacy integration. It helps patients adhere to treatment plans, especially those with chronic conditions.
Despite their complexity, telehealth app development can significantly benefit medical practice. Moreover, more and more patients expect them these days, especially after COVID. Luckily, they can provide a good ROI if done right and in the right partnership with a telehealth app development company.
Medical offices using telemedicine software will find that they can better provide patient care, manage their offices, and process bills, for example. The development of telehealth apps offers one of the most comprehensive ways to deliver care and support in the digital age.
Contact VITech to learn how working with us can make your work more efficient and innovative. We know how to develop a telehealth app and help you stay ahead in the digital medical care revolution!
Tell us about your project and we’ll be glad to help.
