Why Your Patients Need Your App More Than a Doctor
Introduction
Fewer footfalls in your healthcare facility and more virtual engagement – this is the new normal post-COVID-19 era. In this busy world, everyone from old citizens to young hustlers, prefers the convenience of consulting doctors from the comfort of home.
In this blog, we are going to observe the benefits of medical apps that are driving the demand for these apps to go up, the health metrics that patients care for, and the impact of AI-powered features.
The growing demand for medical apps
A medical app, having basic features, keeps all records of a patient’s medical data. From health conditions, to test reports, to prescriptions, to medication details, a patient can keep a tab on his health matters easily via this app.
Along with the convenience of treatment from home or consulting a doctor from miles apart, the power of being aware of one’s health is driving the demand for medical apps among youth. While the elderly will always find it a more reliable option.
There is no more need to make appointments and travel to the doctor, and patients can manage themselves at their dwellings for free. This is why the popularity of healthcare apps is so high, especially in a big city like Noida. Hence the demand for professional mobile application development companies in Noida is also increasing.
Discover how we developed GoMedii, a comprehensive medical app that has a range of basic features from appointment scheduling to medicine delivery features, resulting in 10K+ downloads on Google Play Store.
5 Benefits of having a medical application
1. Convenience at Your Fingertips
Convenience is also one of the main reasons why patients prefer healthcare apps instead of traditional visits to the doctor. Your app should have features that will connect patients with doctors via virtual face-to-face meetings or calls. Another vital feature of this app should be the asynchronous transmission of the patient’s medical information like images of test results, X-rays, lab reports, etc. Features to track and monitor a patient’s vital signs, symptoms, and other medical conditions remotely are also non-negotiable for a medical app.
2. Bridging the Accessibility Gap
Your app can be a real help for patients living in rural or remote areas and those with mobility issues. Being able to stay in touch with their healthcare providers, such patients will be able to receive timely care and health support remotely.
The healthcare providers will know the patient’s up-to-date health conditions as well as their previous health records. This will help the patient and healthcare providers make better decisions based on the data of the patient’s medical history, lab results, and medication details.
Your app can also enable communication by integrating with Electronic Health Records and offering a secure messaging option. As a result, providers would be able to treat critical patients remotely and resolve patients’ concerns effectively.
3. Empowering Patients
A healthcare app with integrated healthcare analytics features lets patients monitor vital health signs, track fouled-up medication dosages, and receive reminders of taking prescribed medications on time. This reduces errors in health checkups, thereby empowering patients by making them aware of their own health.
Healthcare analytics helps doctors and healthcare providers identify potential health hazards and underlying issues beforehand. This early detection helps in early intervention and treatment.
Having a personalized health dashboard allows patients to keep track of their health. Due to the sense of ownership and responsibility that comes with this, these applications may encourage patients to become far more active participants in their healthcare. Thus, the tools for self-monitoring and health education your application can provide make it an invaluable asset for ensuring patient involvement and their resulting improved outcomes.
4. Holistic and Integrated Care
Your app can be seen as an API-enabling coordination of different aspects of healthcare. It can be integrated with EHRs and a variety of wearable devices. As a result, patient health is viewed comprehensively, possibly contributing to patient management systems that are more cohesive.
From appointment scheduling to virtual consultations to medication refill requests, to insurance management, an effective patient management system in terms of vital features of a medical app provides the highest convenience a patient can ask for.
5. Cost-Effective Healthcare
Your application allows for less frequent visits and remote monitoring, which can reduce healthcare expenses. Patients do not need to rush to emergency departments anymore. In modern conditions, when healthcare costs are one of the most significant problems for patients, saving money is crucial. In addition to patient benefits, your healthcare company can also appeal to the cost-effective nature of using the application.
What Specific Health Metrics and Data Points Do Patients Track?
Patients frequently access and track a variety of health metrics through your app, including:
Health Insurance: Managing health insurance, including information about the insurer, the conditions and extent of the coverage, deductibles, and copays.
Health-Related Goals: Setting and tracking the progress of health-related goals, including exercise routine, nutritional plan, and medication.
Vital Signs: Monitoring vital signs such as blood pressure, heart rate, and blood glucose, with either data being input manually or automatically transferred from their device or wearables.
Workout Data: Viewing and tracking workout metrics including distance, duration, and intensity, with much of the data being collected by the device (like Apple Watch).
Medication Reminders: Medication intake reminders and the tracking of patient’s actions in this regard.
Health Information Access: The individual may need to send, view, download, and transmit data to a third-party application under certain regulations.
It should be noted that by collecting the above data, the patient is likely to be able to actively maintain their health, track progress, and facilitate the sharing of the data with their healthcare provider for a more efficient treatment process.
Prioritizing Features for Chronic Conditions
When designing features for a user with a chronic condition such as diabetes or hypertension, the following priorities must be considered:
Condition-Specific Tracking: Tracks and records the user’s specific condition, whether that is blood glucose, blood pressure, or other specifically relevant metrics.
Symptom Management: Helps with managing their symptoms or includes tracking tools.
Medication Adherence: Manages medication adherence, whether that be through reminder notifications that the user appoints, tracking of medication intake, or other available tools.
Integration with EHRs: Connects with the user’s electronic health record and allows them to easily communicate with their healthcare providers.
Personalized Goals and Reminders: Helps manage goals or set reminders, for example, the system may help the user set up their daily dietary plans.
Educational Content: Includes educational resources specific to managing their condition.
Note: In contrast, users who do not have a chronic condition, or that have general wellness conditions, are more likely to care about features that specifically relate to that. For example, exercise tracking, nutritional planning aids, sleep monitoring, and other broad “wellness” features would likely be more important to a user with a general wellness concern.
The Impact of AI-Powered Features
Users with chronic conditions value AI-powered features, such as predictive analytics and personalized recommendations. These features provide accurate and efficient predictions, as well as personalized health plans. In addition, they are useful for effective symptom management.
However, it is important to remember that such tools should be understandable and trusted. Predictive analytics can help anticipate possible health events and start working on preventing them. Personalized recommendations that are based on user input and behavioral data can also help a lot in various health situations.
FAQs
1. What is the purpose of healthcare apps?
The healthcare apps also referred to as medical apps, have numerous features keeping in mind a patient’s concerns that reflect the purpose of these apps. From consulting with doctors virtually, setting appointments, reminding medications, prescription filling alerts, tracking health metrics, and easy communication with healthcare professionals – these are the basic purposes of a healthcare app.
2. What are the basic features of a health app?
A health app is like your health advocate with all your medical information in one place. The basic features of a health app can be medication reminders, tracking blood pressure and blood sugar levels, availability of doctors, information regarding different health conditions, analytics of past reports, etc.
Conclusion
Inflation and transport costs are increasing by leaps and bounds, along with medication prices. This is high time you offered patients a cost-effective approach to modern healthcare. Saving time, and money, and gaining valuable knowledge in the process, – this is the driving factor behind the crazy growth of medical apps.
If you also think we need more medical apps that will easily connect us with doctors, then comment below and share your thoughts on this topic.
