Rise of Mobile Health Apps: Improving Healthcare Access and Management Through Technology
- By Admin
- 1 June 2023
- Mobile App Development
Technology is being used pretty frequently in the healthcare sector. According to data, there are close to 350K healthcare apps available, and each day, close to 250 new ones are released. In the meantime, 47% of apps are for managing healthcare. According to a recent study conducted in the UK, telehealth apps have reduced the amount of resources needed by 73 percent.
Employers use a variety of digital healthcare tools to boost overall efficiency. Likewise, putting healthcare applications into use has many wonderful benefits. We’ll discuss the advantages, types, and issues of mobile health apps in this post as well as take a closer look at a few case studies. If you wish to launch an entrepreneurial endeavour in the healthcare industry and use technology, this piece is for you.
Principal Advantages of Mobile Health Apps
The following benefits of mobile healthcare applications for both the patient and the practitioner are guaranteed. Let’s examine some of the main advantages of mobile healthcare applications in more detail.
Patient Management is improved
Healthcare professionals can concentrate on raising the calibre of patient care thanks to mobile health applications. These apps promote individualised interactions, knowledge exchange, and patient-centered care, which raises patient satisfaction. Patients can easily obtain their healthcare information and medications without the need for in-person visits. These apps also give users the ability to communicate with their doctors, make appointments, and get reminders for follow-up visits.
Decreases the likelihood of a misdiagnosis
Manual record updating can result in mistakes and time-consuming procedures. However, medical software can solve these issues and give patients reliable data. This aids in the proper medication and dosage being prescribed by doctors. Patients can readily access their medical information and exchange them with a new healthcare provider if they choose to do so, ensuring continuity of care and lowering the possibility of a misdiagnosis.
Provides instant access to healthcare
The day when patients had to contact physicians or healthcare providers to request assistance is long gone. Appointment scheduling, telemedicine visits, and secure and convenient communication with doctors are all made possible by mobile health applications. By using video calls or online chat, patients can consult with doctors without making unnecessary offline appointments for minor difficulties. This lessens the workload on healthcare facilities and saves time and effort.
Allows for Simple Payments
Through the use of healthcare applications, manual billing procedures are being replaced with easier ones, which is advantageous for both patients and hospital employees. Through linked payment gateways, users may make payments instantly, doing away with the need to wait in long lines. This simplifies the billing procedure and guarantees prompt payment, improving financial management for healthcare providers and improving patient convenience.
Consolidates Data Management
Every day, healthcare providers deal with a lot of data, making effective organisation essential. Patient data can be easily recorded using wearables and systems by combining Electronic Health Records (EHR) with healthcare applications. This makes it possible for medical practitioners to create thorough, HIPAA-compliant user profiles. A full view of the patient’s health is provided through the integration of data from many sources, such as wearables and patient monitoring devices, opening up better diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities.
Lowers the cost of healthcare
Using a mobile healthcare application can lower costs for both patients and medical professionals. Patients are no longer need to spend a lot of money on transportation and repeated doctor visits. Additionally, healthcare professionals can use information gathered through mobile applications to guide decisions about the care and well-being of patients. Healthcare professionals can avoid complications and cut down on the need for pricey treatments by remotely monitoring patients and making early interventions.
Improves access to medical services
People in underserved and distant locations now have access to healthcare services from anywhere thanks to mobile applications. Telemedicine services can be offered by healthcare providers, giving access to medical advice without the need for physical travel. These applications also enable patients to conveniently order medications, thereby boosting access to crucial healthcare services.
Increased Medical Research
Large databases of patient healthcare data are now available to medical researchers, who can use them to spot trends and patterns. Researchers can use this information to create fresh methods for illness prevention and treatment. Researchers can progress medical science by using the enormous amount of health data gathered by mobile health applications.
Improvements to Medication Management
A key element of effective healthcare management is drug adherence. Users can manage their medications more efficiently with the help of mobile health applications. These apps include notifications for medication refills, reminders for missed doses, and specific drug information like dosage, potential side effects, and interactions. By integrating medication management features into mobile apps, users may avoid missed doses, maintain regular drug regimens, and make informed healthcare decisions.
Encourages preventive care
Mobile health applications encourage proactive and preventive care, empowering people to take control of their own health. Users can schedule diagnostic testing, obtain personalised health advice, and speak with medical experts about preventive actions. These apps encourage users to adopt healthy lifestyle choices and actively participate in disease prevention efforts by providing educational resources, disease-specific information, and self-care advice.
Improvements to Health Monitoring
Users of mobile health applications with built-in health monitoring tools can monitor their vital signs, keep track of their exercise objectives, and get individualised lifestyle recommendations. Metrics like heart rate, blood pressure, sleep patterns, and levels of physical activity can all be rapidly recorded and tracked by users. By providing real-time feedback and analysis, these programmes encourage users to improve their general well-being and foster self-awareness in them.
Supports Health Education
Applications for mobile health may significantly advance health empowerment and education. These applications provide information on a range of health topics, details on various diseases, and guidelines for self-care and health promotion. Users of the app get access to articles, videos, interactive tools, and lessons that help people make informed decisions about their health. By increasing health literacy and awareness, mobile health applications result in better health outcomes and a more active patient population.
Various Mobile Health Application Types
The medical sector offers a variety of patient healthcare applications that aid in tracking, analysing, and resolving health issues for both clients and service providers. The following are a few examples of mobile health application kinds.
Patient Monitoring App for Telehealth
Doctors and patients can communicate efficiently at any time and from any location with the aid of the telehealth patient monitoring app. Patients can also find doctors depending on their location and other important considerations, such as whether they are available to make appointments via the phone or video call.
Applications for Prevention Care
Users of preventative care applications can schedule diagnostic tests through the app from any location and at any convenient moment. Numerous programmes provide advantages including sample collecting in remote locations, doctor consultations, report creation, and many more.
Applications for medication delivery and reminders
People frequently forget to take their medication or to get their prescriptions renewed. Their treatment plan may need to modify as a result. Patients can quickly obtain medications and set up remembrances for taking medications with the help of the Medicine Deliver and reminder applications.
Health Studio Apps
Following the COVID 19 pandemic, a brand-new category of application has appeared that provides users with a variety of classes and sessions, including yoga, boxing, indoor cycling, and much more, to help people get in shape and exercise without leaving the house.
These programmes’ features significantly vary depending on the cause and the development team. Depending on your needs, you can use any of these programmes.
Applications in Mental Health Care
Numerous mental health tools have been developed to assist people in maintaining good mental health and receiving stress, anxiety, and depression treatment. The majority of these applications offer some incredible features, including meditation activities, mood tracking, and CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy). Patients can monitor their mental health symptoms, have access to support networks and services, and manage their stress with the use of mental health applications.
Applications of Medicine
Users can keep track of their medication schedules and set reminders for themselves with the aid of medication applications. Patients may keep track of any other crucial information, such as side effects and interactions, and always take their medications on time thanks to this.
Applications for Data Analytics in Health
Apps for health data analytics concentrate on gathering and analysing health-related data to offer useful insights to both patients and healthcare professionals. These apps create thorough reports on numerous health metrics using data from wearables, electronic health records, and user input. They may offer tailored recommendations for dietary adjustments, fitness programmes, and lifestyle changes based on personal health data. Applications for health data analytics empower people to manage their health pro-actively and to make informed decisions about their health.
Telemedicine Programmes
Applications of telemedicine are growing in popularity, especially in places with poor infrastructure or with restricted access to healthcare facilities. Users of these programmes can securely text, make phone calls, or video calls to healthcare providers. Without needing to visit a doctor in person, patients can get medical information, have virtual consultations, and get prescriptions. Applications for telemedicine are essential for expanding access to healthcare services, especially in remote locations and during emergencies.
Applications for Chronic Disease Management
Applications for managing chronic diseases are created to help people effectively handle long-term health conditions like diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and others. These apps frequently include features like medication reminders, symptom tracking, personalised health regimens, and instructional materials that are specific to each chronic illness. Users can submit personal health information, get personalised insights, and monitor their development over time. Applications for managing chronic illnesses allow users to actively engage in their care, improving quality of life and health outcomes.
In addition to these apps, there are a number of healthcare applications that can help with the management of healthcare data and the wellbeing of patients. Any mobile healthcare application must first recognise the particular requirements of patients before developing apps specifically to meet those requirements if it is to be effective. The healthcare sector is continually growing and making advancements. More healthcare applications that support patient health management are likely to emerge in the future.
Mobile health applications face a variety of difficulties.
Even though medical apps have advanced significantly, there are still some gaps in the market, making it difficult for developers to create mobile healthcare applications.
The majority of mobile healthcare applications only address a single use case, and they may not be able to communicate with other applications. As a result, many healthcare providers still need to manage their data using many platforms, which frequently results in inefficiencies and concussions.
Second, the security and privacy of data are a big concern. As is well known, patient information must be kept secure and private due to the sensitivity of medical data. The adoption of mobile health applications has occasionally resulted in data breaches with grave repercussions. Developers should therefore always check that their application is fairly secure and follows the best procedures to abide by data standards.
Additionally, the overall cost of developing a mobile app for healthcare is rather significant. To build an application, a lot of resources are needed, including qualified people, money, and time. Additionally, programmers must make sure their application is useful and pertinent.
Last but not least, given that we mentioned the requirement for mobile applications to comply with regulatory agencies, it can be difficult for the developers to do so. Many regulatory organisations still cling to antiquated technology and are slow to adopt emerging technologies; as a result, their policies for emerging technologies are still hazy and might standardise the creation of mobile health applications. For the development team and healthcare professionals who are eager to use new technologies, this frequently causes confusion.
Conclusion
The healthcare sector has undergone a full paradigm shift as a result of the growth of mobile applications. Healthcare services are today, unlike in the past, at the users’ fingertips and in their trust. The form of healthcare applications today offers every conceivable solution, from the delivery of medications to video consultations with patients. Additionally, there are numerous healthcare applications that enable medical professionals and patients to monitor, analyse, and resolve any health problems.
Mobile applications, despite the many advantages they provide, are still far from perfect due to issues with cost, legal requirements, data protection, and compatibility. To create applications that are reliable and safe, a lot of mobile app developers must invest a lot of time in finding solutions to these problems.
Mobile health applications would continue to play a significant role in enhancing healthcare management and access as technology advances. To improve the accessibility of healthcare services at a reasonable cost and patients’ overall experience, the healthcare business should employ UX designers and harness technology.
