The WHO defines health as not just a condition with no diseases. It is about the overall well-being, including mental, physical and social aspects. Nowadays, people are becoming health-conscious, and technology is supporting these people in various ways. We all live in this era of smartphones and tablets, where healthcare apps are used for almost everything.
The majority of industries have launched their mobile apps for their customers. The Healthcare industry is no exception, and several health-related apps are present today. If you look at the Healthcare app development in the USA, they are making life easier for patients and doctors. Let’s see how this mobile app development supports the healthcare industry.
Mobile Apps for Healthcare Industry
With the revolution in the mobile industry, the healthcare sector has received huge benefits. Hospitals and Clinics that are leveraging the digital technology in their operations are able to provide enhanced experience to their patients.
Role of Mobile Apps for Doctors
The medical staff and doctors consider these mobile apps a boon. Updating patients’ health conditions is an essential task of doctors, which is made easy by these apps. The majority of doctors are using these healthcare apps for patient care. Most of these healthcare professionals believe that this technology can help improve patient health.
Some mobile apps for doctors are professional networking apps for medical consultation, fixing appointments, and tracking health. The prescriptions and test reports can be shared through these apps quickly. Doctors can treat their patients with a customized approach through these mobile apps.
Role of Mobile Apps for Patients
Healthcare mobile apps provide several benefits for patients. These apps play a vital role in empowering patients. They allow patients to find specialist doctors, fix an appointment with them, and purchase prescribed medicines. Patients can also view their lab test reports and share them with doctors through these apps. Many apps provide the facility of having a video chat with healthcare experts to discuss health problems.
Some mobile apps for patients are dieting apps, useful lifestyle apps, apps for monitoring health, and healthcare education apps. Patients can communicate the dosage and timings of medicines with doctors through these apps. Patients can also be in touch with dieticians and nutritionists through these apps to maintain a healthy diet.
Challenges in the Development of Healthcare Apps
There are a few challenges that the healthcare app developers face –
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Keeping Data Confidential
Whenever you download and install any application on your mobile, it starts collecting some data from your phone. And when it comes to a healthcare application, the collected data is always more sensitive than other applications. These apps manage the information related to the diagnosis, your health readings, and further details monitored through the app. Such apps must keep your data confidential and safe.
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Management of Big Data
Improving the quality of life and predicting epidemics are possible with big data. You can also introduce some medicines for treating diseases. Currently, there are some great applications for managing big data in the healthcare sector. These applications use artificial intelligence (AI) for sorting big data and providing specific treatments. Even though artificial intelligence successfully manages Big Data, there are some limitations. Artificial intelligence’s reliability and accuracy cannot match that of human intelligence.
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Fluctuating Market Trends
Every year, we can see emerging trends that are fluctuating in the healthcare industry. The reason behind this volatility is the variation in people’s living habits. Another reason for these fluctuations can be technological interference in healthcare. Building an app to suit the current trend is quite challenging for investors because of the changes in the healthcare industry. Even though the investors try to adopt the trends, not many companies can accurately integrate these technologies.
Recent Trends in Healthcare App Development
Here are some trends that will completely transform the healthcare app development industry –
1. Telehealth & Telemedicine Apps
These apps are experiencing an increasing demand due to the COVID pandemic. Earlier, the industry was not focused on patients, but the pandemic has highlighted the necessity for patient-centred healthcare. The telemedicine segment is rapidly growing and is expected to grow further at a rate of 120%. The healthcare organizations serving patients who cannot visit the hospital regularly require Telehealth solutions.
2. Apps for Booking Ambulance
The patients that require emergency medical services fail to receive them because of the unavailability of ambulances. The well-equipped ambulances can save patients in need of emergency medical services. In many countries, booking an ambulance in an emergency is still difficult. At this point, the need arises for an app for booking an ambulance. This kind of app will be beneficial for both the patients and hospitals.
3. Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)
Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) refers to the Medical Devices connected to support proactive healthcare for patients at home. The body vitals such as pulse, glucose, heart rate, blood oxygen saturation levels, and body temperature can be easily monitored with the IoMT wearables. A report says the IoT business will gross $6.2 trillion by 2025.
4. Smart Chatbot: AI-Enabled Solution
Most healthcare facilities are trying to integrate chatbot technology to make their work easier. This AI-enabled chatbot can check patients’ symptoms and diagnose their health conditions. It also offers options for treatment and fixes an appointment with a doctor through video or voice calls.
5. Blockchain Technology for Healthcare
The healthcare industry is facing an issue of partial and improper medical records. Manually entering the data of each patient in the system is difficult for hospital staff. Blockchain technology can transform this industry with complete safety and privacy of medical data. Some recent statistics say that Blockchain technology for healthcare will reach $890.5 million by 2023.
6. Big Data
Healthcare apps are leveraging Big Data to manage tasks more efficiently and with higher levels of accuracy. Big Data implementation enables medical entities to effortlessly consolidate hospital records with patient data & medical bills. Tasks like error-free health record keeping, timely preventive actions, & advanced quality patient care are some of the best outcomes of Big Data usage.
7. Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality
Augmented Reality (AR) & Virtual Reality (VR) technology have moved beyond the confines of the gaming industry and are now valuable assets for the healthcare sector. AR/VR medical apps contribute a great deal in delivering interactive training & devising personalized therapies for patients battling cancer, depression, visual impairments, & autism.
8. Cloud-based healthcare Solutions
Cloud-based medical app solutions will enable you to save users’ medical data and also retrieve this data from any location whenever required. It is the most viable option for the efficient management of electronic medical records. As per a research study, the market value of the cloud computing industry in healthcare is predicted to rise to 64.7 billion USD by the year 2025.
If you want to opt for healthcare application development services, keep in mind the ongoing trends.
Conclusion
Being advantageous for doctors and patients, mobile apps are the future of the healthcare industry. The aforementioned technology trends will help you to understand the market requirement of the healthcare app industry. And, adhering to the current trends and practices is a necessity to stay competitive and offer exceptional services to end customers. However, if you need technical assistance, it’s advisable to connect with an experienced software development company for executing your healthcare app project.
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