How Mobile App Development is Revolutionizing Healthcare Industry?

1. WHITE PAPER ON Learn more at http://www.dotcominfoway.com Copyright © 2000 - 2016 Dot Com Infoway

2. Page 2 INTRODUCTION The mobile technology is one of the most signi?cant technologies that are revolutionizing the health care industry in a great deal, not only in the United States but also in the entire world. The impact realized from the development of the different mobile apps ranges from promoting healthy living, managing wellness, and availing invaluable health information to the app users. Currently, approximately 500 million out of 1.4 billion smart- phone users have installed a health care application in their phones for one or more of the aforementioned reasons. Research has it that more than 1.7 billion sma 1.7 billion smartphone users will have downloaded these mobile health apps in their phones for use. Mobile health app developers ensure that the applications have less complicated interfaces so that their use is widened to a broad range of users. As a result, the mobile app users include patients, nurses, consumers, researchers, nutritionists, as well as other health care practitioners. As these users continue adopting the use of mobile applica- tions in the healthcare industries, invention and innovation of improving health care goes a notch higher, hence, revolutionizing the healthcare industry WHAT IS A MOBILE HEALTH APP? A mobile application is a software program that is installed on mobile communication devices such as tablets and smartphones to provide a solution to a speci?c human need. A mobile health application provides health solutions to smartphone users depending on the need being targeted by the developer. For instance, health care practitioners who require guidance on diagnosis and treatment of radiation injuries can rely on The Radiation Emergency Medical Management (REMM) app. For nursing mothers who need information on breast milk, effects of medicine on the milk or any other in other information regarding taking care of their infants, the LactMed app developed by The National Institutes of Health is a suitable option. HOW ARE MOBILE APPS USED IN THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY? Mobile health apps are used variedly in the healthcare industry. The principal purposes of mobile applications in the healthcare industry can be grouped into the following categories: Administration Communications and consultation Some of the apps created are meant for administration tasks such as time management, task allotment, human resource management, information storage and access as well as other administration tasks. These apps are instrumental in providing guidelines and timelines for these administrative tasks in the healthcare centers. Dropbox is an example of a cloud storage app that is essential for storing informa- tion in healthcare facilities. Other cloud storage and ?le sharing apps include include the Google Drive, SkyDrive, and Box. Box is reported to be compliant with the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, as well as the Health Insurance Portabili- ty and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Health record access and maintenance Communication in a health care system is vital. Health care users from different departments such as inpatient wards, clinics, outpa- tient wards, emergency departments, intensive care units, as well as the labs should be in constant communication to provide quality health care to the ultimate recipient: the patient. App developers have indeed established clinical communication apps for clinicians to allow effective communication. These apps are reported to save time in eme time in emergency cases, hence, saving the patients’ lives. Reference and information gathering Healthcare practitioners need to keep referring to health-related literature and information. It is simply not possible to keep all the information in their minds, and to disseminate it when a need arises. App developers have made it easy for them by developing medical literature apps such as PubMed on Tap, Medscape and Pubsearch.   The National Library of Medicine has also developed MD on Tap, a free app that provides all medical information using Google, PubMed and Essi and Essie. Nothing is as tiring as retrieving data manually in a health care system. As patients visit the healthcare facilities daily, data on health- care keeps piling, hence the need to ?nd electronic means of data access, retrieval and collection. Mobile apps have been established to facilitate proper health record maintenance across all departmen- tal units. Using a mobile device, a patient can now install a handy medical app to get access to information such as prescriptions, medi cal history, consultations, x-rays, laboratory results, as well as dis- charge notes. An example of such an app is the MIM app, which is compatible to iPhones and iPads. The MIM app allows users to view imaging scans and x-rays remotely, especially when it is quite difficult to access the workstations Some apps provide drug information to healthcare practitioners, and they include: cost, prescription patterns, dosages, side effects, as well as identi?cation guides. By the aid of these apps, the professionals are more accurate, prompt, and are less tired compared to using manual methods for drug references. Learn more at http://www.dotcominfoway.com Copyright © 2000 - 2016 Dot Com Infoway

3. Page 3 OTHER WAYS THAT MOBILE APPS ARE USED IN THE HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY INCLUDE: Patient monitoring Disease outbreak surveillance Patient support and diagnostics Health ?nancing Medical education A REVOLUTIONIZED HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY Before the mobile technology, speci?cally mobile apps, was infused in the healthcare industry, clinical practice was more complicated and less effi- cient. With these mobile medical apps, more lives are saved, healthcare quality has actually improved, and doctors are now able to handle complicat- ed cases with much ease. Don Jones of Qualcomm Life relates the importance of mobile health apps to health care users with that of a car’s electronics to the driver. He states that a driver can tell his or her car’s condition from electronics such as gauges, alarm signals, and dashboards. Similarly, doctors can carefully monitor the activities of the patients’ bodies using medical apps. They don’t have to wait until their health statuses have deteriorated to a level that they have to be admitted to the hospital. The average cost of a night-spend in an American healthcare facility is approximate $4,300. Therefore, saving such huge huge amounts comes in hand with using these mobile apps. Below are other ?ve ways that the development of healthcare apps has revolutionized the healthcare industry : 4. Prescription reminders and noti?cation 1. Remote treatment Mobile apps have made treatment and prescription of patients so easy that they do not have to visit the doctor to get treated. High blood pressure patients can now wear blood pressure wrist monitors, which send daily readings expressly to the doctor. The doctor can then decide what treatment to give depending on the pressure patterns. This tech- nology saves time for the patient and space for the hospital to treat more severe ailments. It is normal for a patient to forget prescription times or dosages. Never- theless, the development of medical apps has made this tendency to cease. Some medical apps can be used to set reminders for prescrip- tions and dosage. In case a patient misses a dosage, the caregiver is noti?ed so that urgent measures, if any, are taken. These apps also aid in other activities such as medical appointments, medication and administering allergies 2. Facial recognition technology 5. Instant invaluable medical advice With the advanced innovation in the healthcare industry, there are now apps that use the facial recognition technology to help coma patients to remember their relatives and friends. Memory loss is a common condition that leaves patients with no memory of their loved ones. Their families need patience and efforts to help them gain the slightest memory of their identities. However, the recent innovation of these apps has brought an end to the struggles of helping patients regain the memo regain the memory of their loved ones. Patients can now get crucial medical assistance from their phones after installing the relevant medical apps. Pregnant women can install pregnancy apps that will equip them with the right information about pregnancy at different times. Diabetes patients have their apps that monitor their sugar levels and send relevant information to their health caregivers. At the touch of their smartphones, patients can now interact with their doctors promptly and more effectively. 3. Time saving and reduction of wait times Conclusion Some hospitals have now developed apps that give emergency room wait times to patients so that they won’t have to wait for hours before seeing the doctor. Other mobile apps have online check-in features that allow patients to determine when they can see the doctor without many queues. These mobile apps help a lot in saving time and reduc- In a nutshell, the healthcare industry is on a higher notch regarding deliv- ery quality, clinical practice, medical education, patient care, disease out- break surveillance, owing to mobile app development. Awareness of the need for proper personal health is one of the accelerators for an increased use of mobile apps in the world. Nowadays most people are more con- cerned with their health, and the refore, installing the medical apps is more of an urge than a requirement. Health care professionals and other users of mobile apps should grab the opportunity and take care of their personal health effectively with just the tap of their phones. Andrew Thompson, the CEO of Proteus, targets to push his mobile app ?rm to the lead in the mobile health app industry, similar to how Facebook domi- nates other social networking sites Learn more at http://www.dotcominfoway.com Copyright © 2000 - 2016 Dot Com Infoway

4. Page 4 ABOUT DOT COM INFOWAY Dot Com Infoway (DCI) is a premier IT company located in India providing offshore IT outsourcing solutions to businesses across the globe. DCI pro- vides enterprise solutions that include software solutions, web solutions, mobile application solutions, Internet marketing and a whole gamut of IT solutions and products to clients. Leveraging the innate offshore value ad- vantage of our development centers in India, we provide customized, scal- able and cost effective solutions to businesses. Banking on our rich and versatile industry intelligence and experience, we provide solutions that streamline business processes and galvanize enter- prise productivity. With well-structured development methodologies, Global Delivery Model and rigid QA systems, we deliver business-critical solutions on-time, within budgets and within desired levels of perfor- mance For more information, please contact ask@dotcominfoway.com Learn more at http://www.dotcominfoway.com Copyright © 2000 - 2016 Dot Com Infoway