In today’s world, where digital technologies are developing rapidly, it would be surprising if these innovations did not touch the healthcare sector. Mobile healthcare is one of the main trends in this direction. With mobile apps, physicians and pharmacists can provide safer, more effective patient care while allowing patients to self-monitor their treatment and improve adherence to therapy. We propose to find out at what stage this innovation’s development is, its advantages, and what risks accompany the choice of such an approach to healthcare application development.
There are several applications that are designed to improve the quality of drug use and increase patient loyalty to therapy. The range of functionality of such applications can be different.
This service includes the possibility of using various healthcare mobile applications aimed at improving patients’ well-being. Users can enter personal blood pressure, blood glucose, and heart rate measurements into the apps. In addition, some applications can be synchronized with various electronic gadgets capable of measuring the necessary indicators of human health.
Examples of such a drug management model are the following features of mobile applications:
Access to history. The essence of this service is that various pharmaceutical reports are synchronized with mobile applications of patients. As a result, patients can be informed about which drugs they purchased, the dose, and when the last dispensing date was.
Medication reminders. Apps can remind patients to take their medications. Often these reminders are installed in the pharmacy. The service of these applications also includes the ability to confirm the drug intake, which allows medical professionals to monitor the degree of patient adherence to therapy more accurately.
Online chat with pharmacists. Mobile apps can allow patients to communicate directly with pharmacists by asking them questions or using a live chat feature.
Information about the patient’s medical history. Some applications allow patients to keep a personal log of the symptoms of certain diseases so that doctors and pharmacists can help assess pathology control or medication adherence. For example, an allergy diary app allows patients with allergic rhinitis to track their symptoms daily and adhere to their medication regimen.
Here is a list of the most common applications specially designed for doctors:
Types #1 Healthcare reference and database applications store information related to medicines and prescriptions.
Types #2 Professional network applications are designed to create an expert community.
Types #3 Telehealth mobile apps or doctor-on-demand apps enable online medical consultations with general practitioners and specialists.
Types #4 Health tracking apps are designed for patients and doctors with access to tests and important files.
Types #5 Doctor appointments and clinical care apps to notify patients of schedule changes.
Speaking about the development of healthcare applications commonly used by patients, we can highlight the following:
Types #6 Diagnostic applications are designed for primary prevention.
Types #7 Healthy lifestyle apps, including health and fitness platforms and diet and cardio services.
Types #8 Mental health apps help manage stress and improve the quality of your sleep.
Types #9 Applications for women’s health are created for conducting medical examinations during pregnancy and lactation and compiling a monthly calendar.
Through medical mobile application development, clients can self-administer prescribed rehabilitation by watching short videos and following nutritional recommendations. Some platforms, for example, help clients with orthopedic problems perform exercises at any time. Another highlight of the development is monitoring progress throughout the rehabilitation.
Online collaboration apps are essential for people with serious illnesses. For example, diabetic patients can send their glucose readings to physicians immediately. Platforms like these also provide ongoing care for patients with blood pressure, cancer, and chronic diseases. Thus, it is possible to prevent crises in time or adjust the treatment plan.
Mobile healthcare allows you to receive qualified assistance without wasting time standing in line. A platform called Doctor on Demand is an example of a high-quality implementation of online consulting services. It is important that with the help of the service, before conducting an examination, doctors thoroughly study the medical history. Therefore, you do not have to worry about the diagnosis’s accuracy and the treatment’s quality.
Therefore, it is not only patients who can take full advantage of health information management applications. Numerous platforms help physicians store relevant data, exchange opinions with other professionals, share the latest ideas and practices, and more.
The market offers thousands of solutions for automating healthcare and medical services, but not all of them “survive” on the market. The reason is simple: some of them are created in isolation from users’ needs. The product should solve a real problem, not an imaginary one. This is the basic condition for healthcare application development.
Let’s give an example of when applications are really useful for users. So, now, in connection with the spread of coronavirus, applications have begun to appear on the market that will notify users about the spread of viruses, and report on treatment methods and foci of infection. Online consultation apps are also gaining popularity: when safety and distance are emphasized around the world, it makes sense to establish remote contact with a doctor as well.
In order for the healthcare mobile app to accurately find its fans, determine for which target audience you are developing it. When compiling a user profile, you must answer the following questions:
Try to focus on one problem that will be solved with the healthcare application development, and not all at once. Do not try to create a universal program with many functions.
A medtech application should be easy to use, useful and intuitive for a wide audience. As with other IT products, healthcare application development includes evaluation, analytics, design, development, testing, release, and post-release support.
As a result, you need to get a solution with well-functioning functionality, and attractive and user-friendly design. Ideally, the user should find what he needs in the internal menu in two or three clicks. Interaction with the application should be simple and clear.
Android and iOS are still the most popular in terms of platform choice. Ideally, your healthcare application should be available on each of these operating systems and work on both smartphones and other devices.
Let the entire visual part (from the color scheme to the size of the buttons and font), taking into account the target audience, be selected by a professional designer. The interface of a medtech solution should have a clear structure and not be overloaded with elements. The main functions need to be moved to the main screen.
It is important not to overdo it with the design during healthcare software development; otherwise, it will affect the speed of the application. Neither patients nor doctors usually have time to wait for a response from the system, especially regarding urgent requests.
Safe storage of personal health data is vital for MedTech companies. Disclosure of this information is considered a severe violation of the law. In addition, it can harm patients whose safety has not been ensured.
Data storage and processing in the healthcare sector is carried out according to strictly regulated rules. This is especially true for documents from the category of medical secrets. Your future application must comply with international and national privacy requirements that define the rules for working with medical data: HIPAA, ISO/TS, GDPR, and others.
For example, HIPAA is a guideline for applying the requirements of the Health Insurance Information Protection and Liability Act. These rules protect the interests of “non-public health information,” especially data held or shared by companies in any form.
During healthcare application development, pay special attention to the standards for secure storage of information.
Building a viable product is a team effort. Take care of finding a competent team that will complete tasks on time and within budget. We tell you how to choose the right developer for a specific project and what to look for.
An experienced partner helps to minimize errors at the start of the project and quickly implement the MVP version, and in the long term – save money and get a high level of service. Post-release support is just as important as development. Its parameters are fixed in the SLA, the service level agreement.
Be sure to ask what warranty period the developer provides. Typically, this is three months.
Related: How to reduce MVP development cost for startup?
The minimum viable product becomes a simplification of a large project and allows you to find out what users want. Market needs and features critical to product success become apparent. This is the perfect way to test assumptions and get a clear idea of the path the project should take.
It is easier for startups to get investment with the help of MVP because there is a direct presentation of a working mobile application. This demonstrates the seriousness of intentions and strengthens the position.
MVP provides an opportunity to learn how UX and UI components contribute to the usability and intuitiveness of a mobile application.
MVP is also a great strategy for testing monetization ideas. It is better to test hypotheses for earnings with the help of MVP and determine which of them will bring the greatest profit.
With an MVP, you can get to market faster and still have enough room for change.
It is worth consulting with the developers you decide to cooperate with. They will provide information on timelines, costs, and team size and possibly suggest new solutions.
For companies planning to create their own medical mobile application, it is important to know all the steps, and procedures their application will go through before release. Knowledge of the stages of the healthcare mobile application development life cycle allows project stakeholders to:
All mobile development projects typically go through the same application development phases, regardless of the length, scale, or complexity of the project.
Undoubtedly, effective medical applications will revolutionize everyday clinical care and change healthcare practices around the world. That’s why VITech is so interested in developing healthcare services.
Clearly, there is a lot of room for both improvement and innovation in the mHealth market today, but to really focus on what works, you need to do a lot of research and review reviews.
It’s a good idea to share your ideas with the business analyst of a trusted healthcare app development partner. Before moving on, it is necessary to discuss the viability and opportunities that your medtech application can provide. With our support, you are sure to refine your ideas before you start designing a digital product.
If you’re interested in bringing your healthcare app idea to life, check out our work and see why VITech is the perfect fit for your healthcare idea. Our business analyst team is ready to help bring your ideas to life in healthcare application development.
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