Power of accessing anything, anywhere, and at any time is what this era of the internet tends to offer. Mobile applications are shaping our present as well as future. Every industry tends to have varied mobile apps for solving different purposes using powerful technologies. Healthcare is no different. The healthcare app development revenue grew from $25.39 billion (in 2017) to $58.8 billion (in 2020) as per Statista. Be it about tracking sleeping patterns monitoring your diet plan or the diagnosis of some physical alimen; there is an app for almost everything.
Today, in this article we are going to dig into the influence mobile applications have on the healthcare sector. But first, let’s begin with the different types of healthcare apps present in the market-
Different Types of Healthcare Apps:
- Healthcare apps for practitioners
- Medical reference and database App
- Patient health tracking App
- Professional Networking App
- Doctor-on-demand App
- Clinical & Diagnosis Assistance App
Healthcare App for Users:
- Patient Medical education app
- Diagnosis Apps
- Medication Tracking App
- Healthy Lifestyle App
- Fitness Tracking Apps
- Mental Health App
- Dieting App
- Reminder App
- Women & Baby Care App
Benefits of Mobile Apps in Healthcare Industry
1. It is a Boon
The evolution of mobile applications in the medical sector has proven to be a boon for the nurses, doctors, and every other staff member in a hospital. 93% of the doctors have said that mobile apps in the medical field can bring a lot of improvement in the patient’s health. 80% of the healthcare professionals already leverage mobile applications for communication with their patients. 77% of the patients wish to contact their doctors via text messages
Digitized Prescriptions are also one of the major benefits these app offers. They can be accessed on the handsets, and the doctors can easily make editions whenever required. These professionals can check out the reports of a person in one go which is quite helpful in an emergency scenario.
2. For Remote Patients
Telemedicine, means providing healthcare facilities remotely. It is the era of internet connection. Even in distant places, people have mobile technology even though they don’t have appropriate medical facilities. Through telemedicine applications, people in remote areas can have access to the healthcare professionals without having to travel. All the consultation they seek can be availed through the mobile technology.
Additionally, there are also some medicine delivery apps like Netmed & MedLife which facilitates the easy delivery of medicines. Users can easily order medicines using these mobile applications in a very short time.
Also, there are several healthcare apps which provide basic healthcare tips to the users for broadening their knowledge base.
3. No Need to Wait
No longer are the days when patients have to opt for the long hospital queues and wait for their chance. The mobile apps have made everything easy. They can book appointments online, have the digitized prescriptions, and then easily order medicines online. The doctors can check a patient’s reports and provide them consultation right from their mobile device. The options of video chatting also keep the doctor and patients in sync. The latter can discuss their issues directly with the doctor. Also, the technology promotes cost-effective means. A video chat would cost a lot less than the need of visiting a doctor.
4. Enhanced Patient Engagement
There are various healthcare apps which place a patient’s complete information, right from the medical history to patient feedback, performance metrics, variation in the treatment patterns, medical dosages right in one place. These apps are very beneficial as the professional doesn’t have to scourge much and have all the data right from their smartphone. All the data in these softwares are stored in real time- so it becomes easy for the health practitioner to change shifts without having to explain the new doctor about a patient’s condition. The powerful features help the doctor to make quick decisions regarding the patient.
5. Customized Solution
Every patient has a unique history of medical health issues.Their past health records make them accountable for individual attention, and a specific treatment. But customizing treatment for every patient is a tiresome job, especially when there are a lot many at your door. A customized healthcare mobile application facilitates the exclusive care. By using them, doctors can easily walk through an individual record, and provide a pinpointed treatment catering to the individual needs of a patient.
6. Less Diagnostic Errors
A minute mistake in diagnosis or reading the dianos report may cost a life. It can cause the patient’s health in a huge risk. Mobile technology possesses intelligent diagnostic abilities which can heavily reduce this error rate. The technology incorporates many features such as the cloud facility to store patients’ details accurately, and thus helps in correct diagnosis.
7. Easy Monitoring
Mobile app technology has a lot of influence in the Health sector, one such example is health wearables. Fitness tracking application facilitates users to monitor their health continuously. It also provides them insight into various health measures like- Blood Pressure, Pulse Rate, and much more. This way people become goal oriented and keep an active check of their health.
A fitness app also provides valuable tips of various food and exercise regimes. This is all very helpful for fitness freaks.
8. Reduction in Medical Bills
Healthcare industry is quite expensive. Every hospital and clinic is going to cost a lot of money. With the introduction of mobile apps into the health sector, many expenses can be significantly reduced. A mobile app helps in the easy payment of bills. One can schedule the payments in advance, and the amount will be deduced periodically. In a nutshell, Healthcare applications are reducing the work from both patients’ and doctors’ ends.
Technology- A plus for the Healthcare Industry
Following technologies will help in designing different mobile apps solving various purposes of the healthcare industry.
1. Blockchain
We are all aware about this term Blockchain, thanks to the cryptocurrency. Blockchain technology is a peer-to-peer database which maintains a verified record of transactions that needs to be tracked and has to be made accessible to a larger community.
The medical industry leverages this technology for keeping the record of medical history of patients. The technology stores it electronically in an encryption form such as it can neither be hacked nor altered. Blockchain is a secured way of retaining a patient’s data. This technology has proven to be a boon in this industry because of its highly reliable and secured channel.
2. Augmented Reality
AR has risen its way from the video gaming industry to the medical industry. AR or Augmented Reality implies the creation of an interactive experience in the real-world environments by superimposing the computer-generated perceptual data. AR has been very much used in mobile applications for training surgeons and doctors. It animates a real-world experience of surgery and diagnosis, which in turn enhances the practical knowledge of all practitioners. An AR training can be scaled to a large number of practitioners as it is not limited by natural constraints.
3. The Internet of Things
As per a forecast, the IoT in the healthcare sector is expected to hit $138.6 billion by 2021. It is quite apparent by this prediction that a lot of money is invested in this sector. IoT (Internet of Things) is all about connectivity. It is a manner of interconnecting software applications, electronic devices, for an easy management across various platforms. The IoT assists the medical professionals in accessing the patient’s data so the doctors can monitor the patient’s health. It makes it very convenient for the doctors to provide treatment, and suggest medicine dosages. The medical staff will also be able to keep a tab on the large stocks without putting in a lot of effort. Overall, we can say that IoT simplifies the tasks of doctors and leveraging healthcare technology consulting services can help in understanding how well IoT can be used for re-shaping this industry.
4. Big Data Analytics
Big Data can churn the data and convert it into information using sophisticated softwares. The technology comes very handy especially when it comes to the management of hospital resources. Additionally, all the processed information will be used in the mobile app development. It reduces the need of paperwork. This allows the professionals to focus on attending the patients instead of managing databases.
Take Home Message
The technological advancements have put a break on the endless queues in the hospital halls. The urge of getting into the doctor’s chamber and getting diagnosed first has faded due to the launch of these amazing apps. With a healthcare app, the patients don’t have to hustle with managing health documents. But this is not all, the healthcare industry is undergoing massive transformations. Technologies like AR/VR, data analytics, telemedicine have made it very convenient for the doctors to provide healthcare services.
So, you wish to embrace this technology into your healthcare organization? Or, you already have a healthcare website but want to get an app developed for the same? Or, maybe you are a fitness expert, who wants to spread his knowledge through a feature-rich mobile application?
In any case, Matellio is at your service. We are a team of developers who hold 20+ years of experience in mobile and web development. Shoot your query in the comment box below or simply input your details here and our experts shall get back to you within 24 business hours.
