Developing Healthcare Apps — Key Considerations

1. Developing Healthcare Apps – Key Considerations A digital marketing firm in Long Island can you develop healthcare apps to serve your patients better. With the continuous evolution of smart phones, consumers are increasingly relying on smartphones for information and this has lead to the demand for development of mobile apps. The dependency on mobiles has penetrated most industries and the healthcare industry is no exception. Rapid increase in smartphone use and the rising health consciousness are the main factors driving mobile app development in the health care industry. With more and more hospitals employing health apps, doctors are rapidly changing the way they provide treatment. Mobile apps have also become an essential part of digital healthcare marketing. Mobile apps are a boon for doctors as well as patients. Patients can use apps to book appointments, check medical reports, buy medicines and talk to their doctors. Healthcare apps are designed from a customer perspective. There are many users specific portals like Apple’s App Store, Android market or Blackberry App World to find and download apps for a given operating system. A study published by Research and Markets reports that the mobile health market is set to reach around $102 billion in 2023. There are about 318,000 healthcare apps available in major app stores. Around 80% of the US population own a smart phone and 60% of them download and use healthcare apps on their phones. Similarly, 90% physicians use their phones and apps at work to perform several healthcare-related tasks.

2. Patients always look for three most basic functionalities in an app -- the ability to book or cancel an appointment, the ability to request prescriptions and the ability to access medical records. Healthcare apps are all about providing functionalities in user friendly manner. Here are some key areas to focus on when developing healthcare apps: Ease of access to functionalities: Apps with unique functionalities are desirable, but the basic features should be easily accessible by end users. Patient always look for app that saves time on booking or cancelling appointments or making a request for prescription, etc. Patients prefer apps that are easy to use. If they need to take time to figure out how the app works, they may uninstall it. Easy access to all functionalities saves patients’ time and effort and is essential for an app to succeed. Detailed and actionable information: Patients are quite receptive to mobile health apps and platforms and download them because they expect them to provide something positive. Patients always want to learn more things about their conditions, the causes, and then take action based on the available opportunities. So make sure that your app is built in such a way that it provides valuable information to patients in a seamless manner. You can also include interactive tools to keep patients engaged. Ease of communication: Healthcare mobile app should be platforms for patients to interact with physicians. As per a study around 75% of hospital visits are very basic and can be handled over the phone or video call. Healthcare mobile apps should allow patients and healthcare professionals to interact easily so that patients can get the advice they need without having to go to the hospital. Excellent digital experience: Data shows that 90% of the mHealth apps are not regularly used once they are downloaded. Poor user experience is one of the main reasons for the failure of mobile healthcare apps. Data shows that about 21% of millennials tend to delete an app if it offers a poor digital experience. Integrate with wearable devices: Wearable devices such as health trackers and smart watches are the rage. Per a new study by Juniper Research, the healthcare wearables market will reach $20 billion by 2023. The faster adoption rate offers an excellent opportunity to develop a healthcare app that can be easily integrated with wearable devices. Wearables gather data and provide patients with information about their health condition. Add patient community: Adding a community feature to your healthcare app is a powerful method to enhance healthy behaviours. Adding a social feature to your healthcare app helps patients

3. connect with patients who are going through the same health condition. This can keep the patients engaged with the healthcare app and also make patients feel more comfortable. Examples of top healthcare apps Medisafe: This app reminds you to take the medicines at the right time. It sends a notification to your phone when you have take the medicine. Patients who use Medisafe have experienced incredible health improvements as it allows them to take medications on time precisely as directed. Amwell: This telehealth app offers healthcare services round the clock and without any appointments. With this app patients can book a virtual urgent care appointment and instantly connect to a real doctor for face-to-face interaction through a video call. ZocDoc: This is an appointment scheduling app. It comes with an instant online booking feature and makes booking an appointment hassle free. Healthcare apps are important for any medical business. A mobile app is useful for developing an application for very specific purpose that cannot be accomplished using a web browser. Healthcare apps are updated with the health conditions of patients from time to time and make it easy for healthcare professionals to access the patient details. The healthcare industry is adopting various new technologies and mobile apps are an important tool that supports patient care. A digital marketing firm in Long island can provide healthcare app development services to serve your patients better. (800) 941-5527