“The global telemedicine market was valued to be 40 Billion USD in the
year 2019. By the year 2026, it is expected to grow exponentially and cross 175
Billion USD”
These statistics forecasted by Statista, a renowned market research and
statistics portal, indicate the soaring scope of the telemedicine
apps and similar other healthcare IT
services. The transformations
that these digital advancements have brought in the healthcare domain are
revolutionary. Especially in today’s unprecedented times of COVID-19 pandemic
and lockdown situations, these solutions are all the more in demand. No wonder
why several hospitals, healthcare providers, and even individual practitioners
are looking forward to developing customized telemedicine apps and software
solutions.
If you too are here for a comprehensive knowledge of
telemedicine app development like a doctor-on-demand app, this blog is for you. We have outlined the
vital details required in the development process. Let’s delve into details.
Telemedicine
apps, also known as telehealth apps are the tools used for the delivery of
healthcare services by the providers to the patients, usually from remote locations.
These healthcare apps use
new-age technologies to ensure relentless communication between both parties
and bridge the gap between them. These facilitate the diagnosis, assessment,
and treatment of the patients without the need to be physically present at the
hospital or clinic. Thus, the telemedicine apps are widely being used for
remote medical assistance as people are increasingly drawn towards such
advanced technologies to monitor their well-being.
Healthcare organizations or individual care providers deliver various services to the patients. Based on the services, these apps can be categorized as
Apps to find general physicians or specialized doctors and book appointments like doctor-on-demand.
Interactive apps to communicate via phone calls, video calls, etc. with care providers or physicians for consultation.
Smartphone-based apps to exchange health records, prescriptions, etc.
IoT-based apps using wearable devices or other medical devices for remote monitoring of health conditions like sugar levels, heart rate, blood pressure, etc.
Top-notch Advantages of Telemedicine
App Development
Advantages for Patients
Patients get
instant access to all kinds of healthcare specialists without the need to
travel to their clinics or hospitals as they can consult the doctor through the
app itself using video/audio calls and one to one chats. Minor health issues
like fever or cold can be addressed immediately using video calls and also
patients can get ePrescriptions through the app. All the records are saved
digitally and there isn’t the need to maintain the paper records. These apps
provide them authorized permission to text the doctor and enable healthier
conversations. They can easily and conveniently access these apps from any device
sitting at the very comfort of their homes. It lowers the cost of traveling and
saves efforts, thereby ensuring better satisfaction.
Advantages for Care Providers
Using
these telemedicine solutions, care providers can simultaneously
treat more patients. It enables extensive patient reach. They can remotely
monitor the discharged patients’ health. These apps offer them the freedom to
better manage their work leading to fewer missed appointments or cancellations.
Also, these apps enhance the collaboration with colleagues on patient cases. Saved
medical documents, integration with EHRs or EMRs, etc. help the doctors to monitor
the patients efficiently, ensure better patient engagement, and improve
decision-making.
- Research about the target patients, competitors, best telemedicine apps in the market. Collect and analyze the data to plan the project with attention to detail.
Decide whether you want to develop an MVP or a fully-functional app and decide the features accordingly.
Choose the right platform, whether Android, iOS, or both and web applicationsaccording to your end-goals, target demography, budget constraints, etc.
Brainstorm on the right technology stack for backend development, frontend development, database, cloud environment, payment gateways, etc.
Choose between Custom build and SAAS (Software as a service). SAAS does not allow much customization whereas custom build can be personalized both look-wise and functionally.
Design the app for a captivating look and feel considering the factors likeuser experience, user interface design, etc. since aesthetics hold monumental importance.
Choose rich telemedicine API that allows integrating real-time communication like WebRTC, OpenTok, Twilio, Acuity, etc.
Ensure top-grade security and HIPAA Compliancefor protection and privacy of sensitive medical data and personal information.
Once developed, test the app rigorously for final quality assurance. Make sure it works flawlessly and as planned.
Deploy the app live into the app stores for the target customers to download and start using it.
- Ensure timely maintenance and upgrading of the app as per the latest trends and requirements of the patients, as they are crucial to provide better services.
Set of Crucial Features to be
Incorporated
For architecting a successful telemedicine app, it is crucial to have at least the basic features in the app. So whether you decide to go with an MVP model or want a fully functional app with advanced features, we have listed important features accordingly.
Feature Set for an MVP Model
Appointment scheduling option for booking appointments, rescheduling, cancellations, etc.
Detailed profile creation
Communication facility through In-app chatting, audio/video calling, etc. for on-the-spot consultation with patients
Geolocation integration for knowledge of the address of the respective doctor, clinic or hospital
Multiple payment gateways for safe and secure transactions
Backend database i.e. cloud storage for recording communications, storing medical records, etc.
Advanced Feature Set for a Full-fledged App
Reviews and rating option for patients
Group chatting and calling functionality for doctors to collaborate with his colleagues and the patient.
E-Prescription module for enabling patients/doctors to access prescription of medicines and drugs remotely.
Integration with EMR for instantly accessing accurate patient health data for better diagnosis
Ability to integrate with EHR using wearable devices, IoT devices, and health kits like Apple’s Healthkit and Google’s Googlefit to fetch health data and thereby get a better understanding of the patient’s condition.
A separate module for medical assistants to update notes, health data, etc.
Chatbots as a helpdesk alternative
Key Challenges Faced
While building telemedicine
applications, you may face several challenges like language barriers where
patients cannot communicate their health conditions correctly. Also, there
could be other challenges in making the apps HIPAA complaint, implementation of
UI/UX, backend integration, etc. The development team may even face some
challenges while considering the scalability of the apps.
To mitigate the
above challenges, businesses should consult healthcare app development
companies for developing robust, secure and scalable telehealth apps.
Final Words:
For a decade or so, telemedicine
app development has gained traction and has turned out to be a lucrative
investment for healthcare companies and other hospital bodies. It not
only ensures better hospital management, but also contributes to enriching
patient experience. It also offers a competitive edge over other top players in
the market.
With this, we come to the end of this article. We hope this
blog was helpful. Do comment and let us know your thoughts.
For any other queries, mail us at sales.enquiry@biz4solutions.com!
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