Advantages, Downsides, & Mistakes To Avoid while developing React Native Apps!

React Native is undoubtedly one of the most widely used cross-platform frameworks for creating native-like apps. This framework can be easily used for developing brand-new apps from scratch and even in existing iOS or Android projects. So, it is immensely popular and loved by beginners as well as experienced developers. Consequently, the demand for the development of React Native mobile apps is on the rise. Here are the top benefits it offers to one and all.

Foremost Advantages Of Using React Native For App Creation

• Use of JavaScript and easy learning curve, especially for new developers
•  Code re-usability for a speedy development process
• Pre-built components and third-party plugins to create feature-packed good-quality apps from scratch
•  Creation of performance-based apps with higher reliability and stability
•  Technical goodies like modular architecture, declarative coding style, and ‘hot-reload’ feature to enhance the productivity of React Native app developers
• Rich and friendly UI/UX design
• Powerful and knowledgeable community to support
• An easy and direct installation method
• Faster time-to-market
• Creates solutions that allow adaptation to Android and iOS along with smart TVs, VR devices, etc., since it is a cross-platform framework

With so many outstanding advantages to offer, this framework has a bright future. But like any other framework, there are several challenges or limitations that are inherently associated with developing apps using React Native. Here we have outlined a few of them.

Probable Challenges In The React Native App Creation Process

One of the challenges in this framework is the dependency on native app developers, especially while dealing with complex and heavy computational processes. Another challenge, rather limitation, is that this framework does not support parallel threading or multiprocessing. So, the performance of the apps slows down while executing multiple processes simultaneously.

Also, the abstraction layers in React Native have certain limitations. They have a dependency on third-party services and libraries. Finding bugs in abstraction layers is quite difficult; hence resolving them too is time-consuming. Another challenge while using this framework is faced during iOS deployment since testing the iPhone apps on any other testing service except Apple’s TestFlight is quite annoying.

Despite these challenges, React Native is a preferred choice of mobile application development agencies for writing robust and natively rendered applications. Moreover, these challenges can be handled well by experienced developers, whereas, a beginner or an unskilled developer tends to make more mistakes.

So, for the development of a flawless end-product, React Native app developers, particularly the newbies, must have prior knowledge about these probable errors. Let us have a glimpse of the commonest Development mistakes concerning React Native that could be avoided while app development.

React Native App Creation Mistakes To Avoid

Improper Image Optimization

Image optimization, despite being a crucial step in app development, is commonly ignored by developers. But optimizing the images is necessary for reducing the load time of images. It helps in resizing the images locally and then allows uploading them automatically on the cloud storage like Amazon S3 by the server. After this, the developers get a CDN link that can be returned through the API. This entire process makes the app lightweight and boosts app performance.

Presence Of Console Log Statements

Console log statements allow the developers to easily detect bugs while debugging. These make the apps glitch-free during app execution stages. These also help to detect the reasons behind the low performance of the apps. But, in case the developers fail to remove the log statements after completion of the debugging process, it can cause blunders. If the logic and the render methods are kept inside the apps, they can lead to congestion in the JavaScript thread and ultimately slow down the app performance.

Inappropriate Redux Store Planning

Redux is quite useful in React Native for managing the apps effectively, handling and storing the gathered data correctly, debugging app states, etc. But Redux must be planned well for utilizing it to the fullest, or it may lead to issues, especially in small projects. This is so because Redux demands writing long codes even for the smallest of modifications. So, it isn’t suited much for small-scale projects but is a good choice for larger apps and projects.

Inaccurate Or Wrong Project Estimation

The chances of committing mistakes while estimating for a project in React Native are higher for various reasons as given below:

• The layouts and structures of app pages for iOS and Android are different. Also, several common components can be interchangeably used for development but the design of the app in most cases will not be alike. As a result, estimation for both platforms can be different.
• The code to be written in React Native is usually larger as compared to the code required in the development of a Hybrid app on Cordova. In such cases, the assessment of the validation layout also must be considered.
•  All the endpoints offered by the backend must be checked. Other vitals like understanding the data structure, connecting the entities, handling the logic, etc. must be considered during estimating the project.

If the developers handling the React Native app development are not aware of these differences, they can estimate incorrect dates for project completion, leading to hassle in the later stages.

Utilization Of Stateless Components

A stateless component means that the components don’t extend any class. These always render the same thing and print out only what is provided to them through props. These are also known as dumb components. But, stateless components can be implemented faster, reduce the amount of boilerplate code to be written, and enable easy testing. In the app creation process, it is advisable to use pure components instead of stateless components. This is so because, for stateless components, rendering happens after the re-rendering of the parent component. But for pure components, re-rendering takes place when a change is detected in the states or props.

Not Verifying External Module Codes

The app developers working with React Native commonly use external modules as this makes the development faster and easier and thus, saves time. But these modules may not work as expected or even break at times. Hence, the developers must read and verify external module codes before using them.

Not Considering Unit Testing

One of the most common mistakes developers can commit while React Native development is not writing a unit test. The apps can still function irrespective of whether unit tests are conducted or not, but such apps may not provide a great experience to the users and could be less competent in the market. Unit testing enables assessing different parts and functionalities of the apps and ensures they work as expected. It also helps to detect bugs in advance and make sure that the app segments run independently.

Final Words:

React Native has the potential to become “The Best” framework and overshadow all the available frameworks in the market. It is already being leveraged by big players like Facebook, Delivery.com, UberEats, Bloomberg, Skype, Instagram, Tesla, and many more. It has some downsides as well, but those can be minimized to a great extent if every React Native app development firm trains its developers on diligently handling the common mistakes well in advance. Therefore, it is advisable to partner with an experienced React Native app development company for your app development project.

 

Gamification in Healthcare Apps: Use Cases & Amazing Benefits!

Gamification in Healthcare is an ongoing trend! Many of you might be of the opinion that it’s simply a marketing strategy of app creators to attract audiences or an attempt to appease the fun-loving new-era patients. But, in reality, gamification has much more to deliver than just amusement and has something in store for individuals of all age groups. 

Well, gamification won’t cure patients completely but can motivate them to adhere to healthy lifestyle practices, and overcome challenging health tasks; resulting in improved patient outcomes. And, you’ll be surprised to learn about the potential & amazing benefits of Gamification to health app users; including patients, providers as well as practitioners.

As per market research conducted by the popular online portal Global Market Insights, the total market value of the Healthcare Gamification market was USD 25.3 Billion in the year 2020. They predicted this value to grow at a CAGR of over 14.6% from the period of 2021 to 2027. And today, the concept of gamification is gaining momentum in the healthcare application development industry at a fast pace.

This post throws light on the implementations of healthcare gamification, use cases, and its enormous power to improve patient outcomes.

What is meant by Gamification in Healthcare?

Gamification in healthcare refers to the strategy of integrating gaming elements, gaming principles, game mechanics, and game design methods into non-gaming apps like healthcare apps. The key objectives of gamification are to induce fun and engaging elements into tiresome activities, motivate users to follow wellness regimes, and improve patients’ emotional, cognitive, and behavioral health. For instance, chalking out a diet or healthcare regime, Gamified exercises for patients with mobility impairments, back pain, etc are some of the gamification concepts in healthcare apps.

Gamification in healthcare works best for medical apps that deal with fitness, wellness, nutrition, self-management, medication management, mental health, physical therapy, rehabilitation, etc. 

How are Gamification Elements integrated into Healthcare Apps?

Simulation Gaming

Immersive simulation gaming aims at making the patients visualize the adverse effects and consequences of health-related issues, if not properly dealt with. Such kind of gaming elements is also useful for healthcare researchers and clinicians, helping them to upgrade their technical knowledge, medical processes, and patient monitoring practices.

Storytelling Approach

Storytelling has always been an effective strategy for convincing people and so, today’s health apps are introducing storytelling elements into healthcare gaming. These stories involve players achieving challenging health/fitness objectives through fun activities. Missions are designed for the users and they can listen to audio narratives uncovering an adventurous story. This inspires them to complete difficult wellness missions overcoming all adversities. This approach is usually employed in Fitness apps for missions concerning jogging, running, exercising, etc.

Levels and Challenges

Gamification in healthcare often involves competitive components like gaming levels for fulfilling wellness/fitness milestones. Here, the basic level consists of simple tasks to perform. As the game proceeds, the levels become more complex due to the addition of difficult tasks. The users have to nail the achievements like covering 5 kms in 2 days, etc. mentioned in a specific level, to qualify for the consecutive level.

The addition of challenges increases the competitiveness of the entire activity and motivates the users to achieve the impossible. Here, users can achieve a specific fitness goal and challenge other users or can accept challenges from others to perform a specific task.

Progress Bars

The app tracks users’ wellness/health activities continuously. The progress made by users is measured and the performance statistics get displayed, usually in graphical formats. This way, users stay informed on their daily progress. For example, heart rate monitoring apps display the treatment progress via graphs while fitness apps track training & exercise parameters as calories burnt, steps walked, miles covered, etc.

Leaderboards & Ratings

Individuals are often tempted to compare themselves with others. Leaderboards and performance ratings make use of this tendency to motivate users. Leaderboards are used in group training sessions to assess and identify the most successful member in the group. Also, users are rated on the basis of their performance. Ratings are displayed in a tabular format so that users are able to compare their performance with other members. This creates a competitive environment that pushes the users to improve their performance and achieve healthcare objectives no matter how difficult they are. And, being able to share their achievements on social media enhances the overall effectiveness of this entire strategy.

Virtual Representatives/Avatar

Some health apps, particularly fitness apps, have implemented this novel and interesting feature. Here, an avatar, a virtual representation of the user, is involved. When a user loses weight the same result is reflected in the avatar whereas if the user gains weight, the avatar gets punished.

Rewards & Badges

Health app users get badges or reward points for completing a mandated activity. The badges and reward points are visual identifiers of a patient’s success in fulfilling necessary health-related tasks. In some apps, users can even exchange reward points for receiving in-app service benefits, discount coupons, buying medicines, or earning a free monthly subscription. 

This approach encourages users to set milestones for accomplishing personalized healthcare goals that had seemed boring, tiresome and challenging in the past. And, winning rewards or recognition for achievements instills a sense of pride amongst the users and motivates them to keep up their good work. Sharing their progress and achievements with other users or friends builds up competitiveness, pushing users to stick to the desired health or wellness regimes. What’s more? These additional perks boost users’ loyalty to a specific medical application.

Gamification in Healthcare: Use Cases

Children’s Health Apps

The doctors and patients of kids undergoing long-term treatment find it difficult to make them understand the significance of their ailments as well as the importance of adhering to medications & therapies. Moreover, young kids often refuse to swallow bitter pills and undergo therapies. Gaming elements play a crucial role here by teaching the kids to be more responsible concerning their health. Gaming also adds fun elements to make them forget the fact that they are undergoing treatment and increase their willingness to follow regimes. 

The pharma company Pfizer created a video game that teaches children suffering from haemophilia the necessity of following treatment plans and medication. Hemocratf provides a simulated environment where kids learn how treatment methodologies work and how they can help themselves during accidents before help arrives. The app My PlayHome Hospital prepares kids for doctor visits and helps them to shed their phobia by turning the kids into virtual doctors. With MyTeeth, kids learn the correct way of brushing their teeth.

Mental Health Apps

Emotional health issues are rising and modern-day individuals need some help in managing such woes. What can be a better solution than gamified apps?

Moodfit uplifts the users’ mood when they are facing issues like stress, anxiety, and depression. Users can track their daily progress and mood swings, and also receive actionable exercise recommendations.

Loona alerts users about their mood and helps them to get some relaxing sleep after a hectic day. Tactful gaming elements like storytelling, relaxation activities, and pleasing sounds are used for inducing sleep.

Health Apps for managing Medication & Chronic Conditions

Several chronic diseases like diabetes require self-management, which is one of the most difficult regimes to stick to. Well, Gamification in healthcare has eased things. 

Mango Health enables patients to adhere to medication regimes, offers information on medicines, and warns about the possible side effects of medications. Flaredown monitors patients’ health by updating patients on medical conditions, symptoms, treatments, and the way these factors can affect a patient’s physical/mental state. With the app Manage My Pain, users can identify the areas affected by pain, track the intensity of the pain, and receive suggestions on relieving the pain. 

Physical Therapy/Rehabilitation Apps

Patients find it challenging as well as time-consuming to recover from issues like mobility, independence for carrying out daily activities, etc. after an accident or severe injury. Gamification increases the effectiveness of physical therapy.

The app Prehab educates users on ways of controlling their health via physical therapy. Users get a host of tips, workouts, and the facility to connect with trained therapists whenever needed. The solution named Eyesight Exercise offers audio tips and instructions for eyesight improvement and eye relaxation techniques. The rehabilitation app Physera offers exercise tips to build up flexibility and strength. VERA utilizes motion tracking technology, compares patients’ performances with desired standards, and provides corrective measures.

Nutrition & Fitness Apps

Nutrition and fitness apps are quite popular amongst new-age individuals for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Introducing gaming elements into such apps is an added perk for users.

Apple’s Health app allows users to track wellness parameters like heart rate, hydration, activity, sleep quality/patterns, calories gained/burnt, and many more. The fasting app Zero tracks down the mood changes of users during fasting periods. MyFitnessPal is a nutrition app that helps users to track their daily calorie intake, manage weight, set goals, and select food recommendations from a nutrition database as per their healthcare objectives.

Cancer Treatment

Gamification in Healthcare has proven beneficial for cancer treatment as well. The gaming app Re-Mission employs the nanobot named “Roxy.” Roxy is a player that fights and combats crude cancer treatment methodologies depicted in the form of weapons like radiation guns, chemoblaster, antibiotic rockets, etc. Roxy survives all adversities and this example has helped cancer patients to stick to medication and therapies. 

Gamification in Healthcare: Advantages

Improves the Effectiveness of Treatment Plans & Medication Adherence

Gamification in healthcare helps patients with one of the most neglected tasks; that’s adherence to medication and treatment plans. Gamification imbibes resilience and motivates users to take medications on time. It even offers incentives to follow healthcare regimes, track medication schedules, refill prescriptions on time, stick to doctor appointments, etc. Gamification also enables doctors to monitor patients’ health activities and verify whether their patients are following medication/treatment regimes as required.

Optimizes Patient Engagement & Retention

Gamification motivates individuals to achieve their healthcare goals and makes them realize their accountability for their healthcare choices. Attractive and engaging games make monotonous health tasks all the more enjoyable. In the long run, gamification in healthcare educates patients about their illnesses, enables patients to battle depression effortlessly, and encourages them to stick to treatment plans. This way, health app owners can engage and retain customers in the best possible manner.

Valuable Consumer Insights and Feedback

The healthcare data entered by the users into the app and the patient improvement data generated within the app help providers to gain valuable insights and consumer feedback. This information is utilized for identifying current trends, customer needs, and areas of improvement. It enables healthcare providers to design user-centric apps with better clinical outcomes; provide more customized features, and implement improved security protocols.

An Effective Medical Learning Tool

Medical Students, as well as practitioners, need to learn and remember humongous facts, concepts, theories, emerging technologies, etc. and gamification makes this process way easier. Gamified medical apps help healthcare professional retain knowledge and information as they can cover complex topics speedily and with several repetitions.

Final Thoughts:

Gamification in Healthcare benefits both patients as well as providers. Users get an elevated experience, receive assistance with health/medication regimes, get the much-needed motivation to accomplish fitness goals, health objectives, etc. Providers can engage patients in a better way, and win customer loyalty, and brand recognition. However, to extract the full potential of gamification, healthcare app developers need to craft solutions based on well-established theories and game mechanics.

So, how about designing a gamified medical app or gamifying your existing healthcare app to make it more effective, appealing, and engaging to users? For achieving this objective, I would recommend you to partner with an experienced healthcare app development company that will help you leverage gamification elements to the fullest.

 

Reasons why React Native Apps fare better than Hybrid Apps!

 

While developing mobile apps, most businesses wish for high-performing apps that are built faster and at minimal costs. But, the availability of numerous outstanding technologies causes dilemmas when choosing the right app development framework. Also, it becomes difficult to maintain a balance between opting for top-quality app development and affordable costs. In this regard, the two most popular approaches are ‘Hybrid app development’ and ‘React Native app development’. And, the decision on whether to go for hybrid apps or React Native apps is the most popular topic of debate.

Several businesses go for hybrid mobile app creation thinking that it meets their requirement. No doubt it offers advantages like:

• Faster development in a cost-efficient manner.

• Wider reach at once.

• Offline support.

• Ease of integration with the cloud.

But, before investing in hybrid apps, businesses must also look at the drawbacks associated with them.

Drawbacks Of Hybrid Apps

Unsatisfactory Performance: 

These apps crash several times. Also, these introduce an extra layer between the targeted mobile platform and the source code which ultimately deteriorates their performance.

Unappealing User Interface: 

The first impression is the best impression. Hybrid apps visible on the app store do not entice the user because they have a very dull look and appear like web apps on the android and iOS platforms. Owing to lesser clarity, users tend to avoid downloading such apps.

Below-average User-experience: 

The UX of the modern-day apps is impeccable and highly captivating. But a hybrid mobile app fails to match this raised bar of UX in the apps. They have sluggish graphics, limited animation, keyboard malfunction, and the absence of platform-specific features that contribute to poor user experience. This could be the probable reason why Facebook switched from HTML5 to React Native.

Debugging Issues: 

As discussed previously, the additional layer between the platform and the code of hybrid apps makes the debugging process lengthy and complex. The developers have to rely on the framework to make modifications to the targeted OS. Also, since the developers may not have a thorough knowledge of the target platform, detecting issues in these apps becomes highly time-consuming.

Limitations while upgrading to Latest Features: 

To stay competitive, it is essential for modern-day apps to embed new features and upcoming software capabilities. But in hybrid mobile apps, this process is extremely difficult and troublesome.

With such disadvantages, it can become highly impossible to develop attractive, engaging, and robust apps while maintaining cost-effectiveness. At this time, the usage of React Native for app development comes into the picture.

Let’s take a look at how React Native apps fare better than Hybrid apps!

Key Benefits offered by React Native App Development 

Native-like Functionality and Appearance: 

The platform components used in React Native applications are similar to those in native Android or iOS apps. So, the cross-platform apps created in React Native have a native-like look and feel and perform better as compared to Hybrid apps. Hybrid apps are like a web view with a native container wrapped around them. They are not smooth and fast. On any operative device, hybrid apps run and behave like web apps.

Code-reusability for Time and Cost-efficient Development: 

The benefits of React Native as a cross-platform app development framework are known to all. This framework allows the sharing of a single code-base across multiple platforms, so it is possible to create top-grade apps in half the time when compared with native apps, thereby being more cost-effective. Hybrid apps, on the other hand, use age-old frameworks that require more time for development.

‘Ready-made’ Components and Third-party plugins: 

React Native has a reusable component-specific structure. So, the developers do not need to write code for these components from scratch. Comparatively, hybrid apps have a WebView component that is getting outdated gradually. Also, React Native offers a host of amazing third-party libraries with pragmatic interfaces and flexible customization options.

ReactJS’s Programming Model: 

React Native is nothing but a JavaScript framework at its core and makes use of the programming model of ReactJS. As a result, the React Native developers utilize the same conceptual framework used by React developers.

Attractive and Efficient User Interface: 

React Native is much more exclusive and versatile as compared to other JavaScript frameworks like Angular and React. Due to the asynchronous JavaScript connections, the resulting user interface of React Native becomes highly responsive and native-like. It has a smooth feel with faster loading times and looks much better visually as compared to hybrid apps.

A rich Open-source Ecosystem and Vibrant Community Support: 

This framework is open-source and has a rich open-source ecosystem for knowledge sharing and external integration. It is backed by a strong community and talented developers worldwide contributing to its progress. Big players like Facebook, GitHub, Callstack, Software Mansion, Microsoft, Infinite Red, etc. support this framework.

Used by several Industry Giants: 

Above all, this cross-platform framework supports big leaders like Instagram, Facebook, Tesla, Walmart, Bloomberg, etc. It is being adopted for varied applications by diverse industries and this fact speaks for the popularity of React Native.

Other Technical Merits: 

The below-mentioned features simplify the coding efforts and also make the testing of React Native apps easier.

• It has a modular architecture that helps to divide the code functions into free and interchangeable modules; thereby speeding up the development process.

• The ‘Hot-reload’ feature is another great feature of this framework. Any modification in the code immediately reflects in the apps, even while the apps are running. It reduces the wait times and allows the implementation of any feedback with ease.

• The declarative coding style in React Native makes the processes of reading and understanding the code much easier. It enables even new developers with basic knowledge of JavaScript to grasp the coding of this framework.

• It allows for easy migration

Concluding Note:

With this, we come to the end of this blog. We understood how apps developed in React Native have unparalleled quality and performance as compared to hybrid apps. React Native development has undoubtedly overshadowed hybrid app development. The apps built in React Native are stable and reliable. Also, it is a cost-effective technology for cross-platform mobile app creation. Needless to say, this technology is already popular, and React Native app development services have immense potential to develop profitable applications. So, if you were thinking of hiring a hybrid app development company, for your next project, it’s high time to reconsider your decision.

Why do Healthcare Mobile Apps need Governance and a Legal Framework?

Modern-day patients get so carried away by the benefits and convenience of smartphone health apps that they don’t think twice before trusting a provider with their sensitive and personally identifiable information. Providers too, do not bother to adopt all the stringent security measures that will protect patient data from unauthorized access, unless they are compelled to do so by regulatory authorities.

Healthcare mobile applications are double-edged swords. On one hand, mHealth apps have provided unthinkable outcomes for patients, doctors, and service providers. But, on the other hand, the usage of smartphone apps in healthcare has made patient data all the more vulnerable to security threats. Healthcare data is the most valuable data on the dark web these days. There have been incidents of health data breaches in recent years that have compromised the records of millions of patients.

This post discusses the reasons why there is an urgent need for regulatory governance and legal frameworks for healthcare app development. 

The Current State of Healthcare App Security 

Medical apps are supposed to follow certain practices, strategies, and regulatory compliances mandated by Government authorities; to minimize the chances of security breaches. But, do all health apps follow standard security practices? Let’s explore!

A distinguished cybersecurity researcher Alissa Knight conducted a thorough analysis of 30 popular smartphone healthcare apps, and the reports are alarming. All of these apps had security vulnerabilities. And, the loopholes identified in 30 apps together can expose the sensitive information of around 23 million users. 

Here are some shocking stats of the research study:

• The API keys of 77% of the medical mobile apps were hardcoded and some of these didn’t expire. 

• 7% of the apps had hardcoded usernames and passwords in the form of plain text.

• 50% of the API vulnerabilities detected within healthcare would enable hackers to access private and sensitive patient information like personally identifiable data, EHRs (Electronic Health Records) health information, and medical billing details. 

• 100% of the 30 healthcare apps tested were exposed to BOLA (Broken Object Level Authorization) attacks. Such an attack is executed by counterfeiting the user IDs.

• 100% of the apps didn’t implement the “certificate pinning” protocol that compels a health app to verify the certificate of the server against an authentic and known copy. This made the apps highly vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks.

Potential Risks of Hardcoding APIs

APIs establish communication between mobile apps and a hospital’s infrastructure, a Cloud service, or a physical server and facilitate data exchange. API keys are used for authenticating the application to other services like payment processing. API keys contain important and confidential information that needs to be secured. And, hardcoding of API keys and other crucial user credentials in mobile/web apps exposes health data to security breaches. According to research conducted by Gartner, by the year 2022 API vulnerabilities will be the major cause of data breaches for enterprise apps.

It’s a common practice of healthcare app developers to hardcode confidential app data directly into the app’s source code and employ obfuscation methodologies for securing the app. However, such security practices are not sufficient to protect health data. Professional hackers can effortlessly break into this data by carrying out the process of reverse-engineering the application. Once the hacker can access API keys, they can use this data to create new software that exactly resembles the actual application; this enables hackers to make arbitrary API calls. Also, the attackers can get access to the app’s back-end infrastructure for interacting with the servers and thereby collect sensitive patient information. 

Consequences of Healthcare Data Breaches

Healthcare data breaches can lead to hefty fines for the app provider owing to HIPAA/GDPR violations as well as reputational damage for medical organizations. 

Patients whose data gets compromised lose their privacy/secrecy and may face discrimination at their workplaces and social circles owing to certain health conditions. Certain businesses might misuse patient data and misdirect them into making unreasonable purchases. Leaked payment information and credentials can result in direct financial losses and exposed personal information may be misused by hackers to cause harm.

What’s the Solution for Healthcare App Security Woes?

There are regulatory compliances mandated for health apps like HIPAA, GDPR, FDA, etc. Nevertheless, these mandates fail to cover all areas of health app vulnerability, specifically smartphone health apps. There is an ambiguity concerning the regulatory compliance of mobile health applications put forth by the aforesaid entities. Hence, there is an urgent need for additional rules and regulations and more importantly clarity on mobile health app regulatory protocols. Regulatory bodies of the government and healthcare industry should devise additional guidelines for healthcare app developers and medical app distributers that are not included in regulatory compliances. Such guidance will help maintain parameters like the quality, transparency, accountability, genuineness, and reliability of a healthcare application. 

Security Protocols to be followed during Healthcare App Development

Healthcare app developers must ensure that data is encrypted during storage as well as transit. This ensures that the health app follows the desired authentication requirements and prevents the device’s chances of being jailbroken. The app must be designed in a way that the server has the information on whether an app running on a user’s smartphone device has been tampered with or not. Besides implementing security measures during healthcare app development, an app must also be monitored continuously after deployment.

Take a look at how the data encryption process works! 

Here’s how data is encrypted while being transferred to cloud storage systems! 

Source

Practices to Combat Healthcare App Security Threats

App Developers must furnish information on the app’s major stakeholders, monetization strategy, scientific sources, privacy policies/practices, consent methods, and so on to government authorities. This will enable the consumers to use healthcare apps securely and protect their privacy while app usage.

As per app store policies and the healthcare industry protocols concerning electronic transactions within an app, the consumers owe a refund from the app owners if the app fails to function as promised. But, not all apps adhere to this business protocol. Moreover, the app subscriptions can be unending unless consciously stopped by consumers. Furthermore, there isn’t any government regulation stating the reduction/regulation of in-app promotions and purchases in medical apps, other than the apps meant for kids. 

For this reason, developers must strictly follow the legal protocols regarding consumer advertising and be transparent about the financial expenses that are involved in app downloads and usage. Also, app distributors must mandate time limits on the payment of subscriptions specifically if an app remains unused for a long duration, and activate refund practices in case of any unintended payments have been made by patients. Also, repeated requests for in-app purchases must be avoided particularly in apps that target vulnerable audience groups, like mental health apps. 

Legal Framework for Multi-dimensional Assessment of Mobile Health Apps

Several health apps have been successful in escaping the attention of regulatory authorities as they are not even considered to fall under the category of healthcare devices. Moreover, even where regulatory frameworks exist, not all healthcare entities follow such regulations and there isn’t any protocol to make sure that all covered entities are complying with established standards. Furthermore, there’s hardly any regulatory guidance for apps implementing complex technologies like AI, ML, etc. as there’s no assessment model that will weigh the risk factors and implementation requirements of diverse digital technologies. 

Therefore, international agencies and industry veterans urge the need for a legal framework that mandates a set of regulatory guidelines for classifying smartphone healthcare apps and defining the pre-market route of these apps. There has to be a common legal framework that assesses a health mobile app across multiple dimensions. This framework should be systematic and comprehensive enough to serve a wide range of functions including regulating market authorization/purchasing procedures, the secure usage of mHealth apps, etc. 

Final Verdict:

The security vulnerabilities existing in modern-day medical apps and solutions and the severe repercussions of a data breach come with a heavy price for patients as well as providers. Hence, there is a dire need for legal frameworks and regulatory governance to protect healthcare data from security threats. Also, the government authorities must ensure that all healthcare apps are implementing the established standards. 

If you are a healthcare provider and planning to create a highly functional future-friendly app that adheres to regulatory compliances it’s advisable to look for outsourced assistance. Partner with professional and experienced healthcare app development services in USA that will provide end-to-end encryption for the sensitive data flowing in the application. 

 

Transportation & Logistics App Development: A Complete Guide!

Fleet managers had relied on traditional methodologies to handle fleet operations and track vehicles for long, despite encountering certain operational challenges. As per a 2021 survey conducted by Statista, “85% of transportation and logistics businesses cited driver-related woes as the key issues.” 

Here are some bottlenecks faced by transportation industry businesses!

• Rash driving & excessive truckload can lead to hefty fines. 

• Idling (running the engine very slowly) during long hauls damages the engine over time, and raises the vehicle maintenance costs.

With traditional strategies, fleet managers cannot effectively monitor vehicles and drivers on the go. However with the advent of smart transportation solutions, transportation operations has been transformed completely and is delivering unthinkable outcomes. This approach has undoubtedly improved the transparency and visibility of transportation and logistics business operations, resulting in lesser mistakes and higher productivity. 

One such disruptive IoT-based Transportation solution can handle the weight management of truckloads very easily and securely. Sensors embedded in vehicles track parameters like vehicle speed, freight load, vehicle anomalies, etc. in real-time and send alerts whenever necessary. These sensors are connected to apps; so the real-time data and notifications can be instantly viewed on the apps by fleet management staff and other authorized users. 

A transportation & logistics app is the need of the hour! But, many businesses are reluctant to automate their workflow owing to its technical complexities. This post discusses the requirements, techniques, and key considerations of transportation & logistics app development. A quick read will guide you through the right approach for crafting a suitable logistics app for your business.

Transportation App Development: Major Steps

Requirement Analysis

A transportation application may serve different purposes for various businesses. So, it’s important to define the purpose for transportation app development – tracking of the fleet, drivers, or freight of your business, providing your customers with the facility of shipment tracking, or monetizing by selling the app to logistics companies. Once your requirements are clear, research who your target audiences are and what are their needs. Thereafter, decide on the feature set based on the needs of your targeted audience.

Technology Stack and Integrations

You need to decide on the below-mentioned factors before starting the development process:

• What kind of an app will you build?: Native, Hybrid, or Cross-platform

• Which Operating Systems will you target? : Windows, MacOS, iOS, Android, etc.

• What tech stacks, software/data analytics tools, and integrations should you include as per the operational requirements? : IoT, AI, Hadoop, etc.

• Which database will you opt for? : SQL or MongoDB

• Will your app need Cloud storage? If yes, which type of storage will you go for: Google cloud or AWS?

• What kinds of payment options are you going to offer? : COD, mobile wallet integration, payment via credit or debit cards, etc. 

App Development Resources

You can either hire an in-house IT team for building or maintaining your logistics app or hire app development services from an outsourcing service provider for executing your project. Adopting the offshore outsourcing approach and partnering with an experienced logistics app development company has so far proved to be the most profitable strategy. The reason is freelancing services are unreliable and maintaining an in-house software team turns out to be way too expensive and hassle-prone for businesses in the transportation sector. 

App Maintenance and Support

Your logistics app may come across bugs post-deployment. Also, it’s necessary to add new features as per the changing market trends and audience feedback. So, periodic updates have to be rolled out for staying relevant and competent. Therefore, it is advisable to go for end-to-end app development services including maintenance and support after launch.

Transportation App Development: Feature Set

Driver Panel

Registration & Profile Creation

Drivers should be able to register themselves effortlessly and speedily. They need to create their profiles by filling in details like name, age, and the license plate number along with its type and expiry date. The profile must also contain a photo of the driver. This data is stored in the app’s backend. The information is useful to admins for identifying drivers and linking a particular driver to a shipment. Also, this feature should offer authentication methods while the drivers log into their accounts.

Screen displaying Shipment Information

This screen is used by the drivers to view the necessary shipment details including the present as well as scheduled orders, pick-up & delivery locations, and the estimated date & time of order delivery. Usually, there’s a hidden screen here that displays extra information if the driver clicks on it. This screen contains data like the total distance to be covered, a map button, details about recipients & their payment mode, notes by consumers related to delivery, and information on the freight, additional stops, etc.

Navigation/Map Integration

Map integration into the app provides drivers with guided routes that help drivers to follow the right path to their destination. Some advanced navigation functionalities offered are real-time traffic information; route optimization suggestions based on the traffic condition, tolls, etc.; speed limit notification for certain roads; and info on charging stations, food courts, etc. available on that route. 

The map feature should also be available during offline mode so that drivers can obtain navigation assistance even at locations with very low or no internet connectivity. This feature is handy for admins as they can track down the exact location of the vehicle on the go.

Log Records

The drivers need to log their daily activities like distance travelled, number of hours they have worked, shipments collected, orders delivered, etc. This way, admins can monitor whether the drivers are carrying out their duties as desired and the shipments are successfully picked up & delivered without being misplaced.

Push Notifications and In-app Chats

Push notifications are essential for informing the driver about newly allocated orders, modifications in pick-up/delivery locations, a fresh set of instructions from admins via in-app chat, and so on. In-app chatting also allows the drivers to communicate and stay in touch with consumers, managers or other staff.

ePOD (Electronic Proof of Delivery)

This feature includes barcode scanning, capturing pictures of shipment, and collecting consumers’ digital signatures during the time of shipment delivery. This is important to ensure that the order has been delivered successfully.

Admin Panel

Login

Admins need to create an account for maintaining the integrity of the entire transportation and logistics operations. The app must provide an option of logging in using an ID and password. Here, adding extra layers of security is recommended to prevent unauthorized access.

Admin Dashboard

A well-crafted dashboard is a crucial component of transportation app development as it offers all essential information to managers in a nutshell. The dashboard processes and displays information on the status of ongoing shipments, order history, summaries of drivers’ activities, average time taken for loading & deliveries, pending complaints, KPI sheets concerning data analytics & weekly/monthly/yearly revenues collected, etc.

Order Management

This feature updates the fleet managers on important data like the number of shipping orders, the current status of ongoing shipments, completed shipping orders, new or pending shipment orders, freight details, customer details, payment details, consumer notes, and the average revenue generated for each order. 

Admins allocate new orders to drivers using this functionality. Here, you can smarten your allocation activity by employing AI. Artificial Intelligence systems automatically assign the duty to drivers based on certain pre-defined parameters. For instance, the driver who is off duty for a long period or the driver who is at the nearest location from the pick-up point is considered. 

AI-powered logistics apps can also assist in truck loading. The AI algorithms automatically analyze the different transportation requests present within the logistics system and identify the various orders that will move in the same direction. Based on this information, the software then suggests which loading sheets will be connected in which order. An AI-powered automation system can effortlessly and accurately execute complex operational requirements like cross-docking, LTL, catering to multi-stop destinations, pool distribution, and trailer swapping. 

Chat & Push Notifications

Admins receive information on drivers, invoices, and shipment delivery status and can keep consumers updated about the status of their orders that are being delivered. The in-app chat feature enables the admin to stay connected with drivers and interact with customers & solve their queries.

Monitoring of Drivers, Vehicles, and Routes

Admins can remotely monitor and track aspects like drivers involved in shipping, the number of orders executed, the fuel consumption by each of the vehicles that are in transit, the current vehicle condition, pollution data, servicing requirements, etc. Admins can also track the route taken and the real-time status of the shipment. 

Management of Drivers, Fleet, Chats, & Expenses

Logistics and transportation app development must include features that allow the admins to collect & maintain driver records, route schedules, and communication with consumers as well as drivers via chats. The app must also provide features for carrying out sales management duties. This includes accepting or disapproving extra expenses while making deliveries. Admin can also review administration expenditure; and calculating the profit and loss ratio. Here too, the integration of AI will help in automating these tasks.

Consumer Panel

Registration & Login

Effortless and secure profile creation & sign up procedure, order management, and order history details for consumers.

Order Booking 

This feature allows customers to schedule the order delivery as per their convenient date, time, and location; select the preferred type of vehicle for delivery; interact with drivers in transit for obtaining shipment status; and contact admins and receive timely responses. Consumers are informed about the estimated fare before booking transportation orders.

Delivery Status & GPS Tracking 

Customers should be able to view details of the driver & vehicle delivering their order and track the present location of their parcel in transit, the estimated delivery time, date, etc.,

In-app Chat and Push Notifications

In-app chat allows consumers to interact with drivers or admin as and when required. Users must be able to share pictures and documents besides the regular text messaging functionality. Push notifications keep the consumers updated about the delivery status, unexpected shipment delays or failures due to unforeseen circumstances, etc.

In-app Payment Integration 

Offer several in-app payment options to consumers like digital wallets, credit/debit card payments, etc. by integrating payment gateways such as Braintree, PayPal, Stripe, etc. Also, ensure that the payment systems are well secured and the privacy of your consumers’ payment details is maintained. 

Ratings & Reviews

The option of rating the delivery service quality and writing reviews about it; will help you to build up trust amongst your consumers, identify the existing problems within your system, and work on the areas of improvement.

Transportation App Development: Key Considerations

Keep it simple

A complex app with too many unwanted features creates bottlenecks instead of streamlining transportation operations. Moreover, too many functions may confuse consumers and lead them to abandon your app. This can also make it difficult for drivers and admins to manage; resulting in costly errors and delays. Hence, keep your feature set intuitive and simple ; integrate only those features that are necessary for your operational workflow. Also, do not update your app very frequently; this will make it difficult for users to cope with the modifications.

Quick Load Times

Time is money! Hence, your logistics app shouldn’t take more than a couple of seconds to load; or else your investment in transportation app development is wasted as you are sure to lose consumers. 

Intuitive UI/UX Design

An intuitive UI/UX design matters a lot when it comes to customer experience and satisfaction. 

Social Media Integration 

New-age users are addicted to social media. As such, integrating social media into your logistics and transportation app makes your app all the more popular and widely accepted. Users get the option to log in using their social media account; this enhances consumer engagement. Furthermore, you can create a social media community for providing important information and expanding your consumer base.  

Final Thoughts:

I hope the aforesaid information and tips have provided you with a clear idea of the dos and don’ts of transportation and logistics app development. A transportation app will improve the visibility, transparency, efficiency, productivity, and the security quotient of business operations and takes your business to the next level.

Develop the right solution/app; and complex tasks like fleet management, tracking, etc. will be at your fingertips. That’s why most businesses these days are partnering with proficient transportation app development services for tailoring customized software solutions that will best suit their operational requirements. 

React Native or Flutter? Which one is the Best Fit for your next Software Development Project?- Part-II

In Part I of this blog, we compared the frameworks- React Native and Flutter based on numerous vital parameters. You may have a glimpse at Part I here.

This blog is an extension of Part I and here too, we will be focusing on a few more significant parameters to carry out a more detailed comparative analysis of both of these technologies.

We presume that by the end of this read, you will have better clarity on which framework is the best pick for your project development requirements. You will easily be able to decide whether to go with React Native app development or Flutter app development. So let’s commence.

Comparative Analysis: React Native App Development Or Flutter App Development

Learning Curve

React Native:

The learning curve of React Native is quite easier, especially for those who are familiar with JavaScript. But working with React Native may get a bit difficult when it comes to mobile app development, though the framework has released several libraries, tutorials, documents, etc. to make the learning of this framework easier. 

Flutter:

Flutter too is not much difficult to learn. To understand this framework, developers need to learn the Dart language, which is pretty simple along with some basic knowledge of native iOS and Android development. However, this language is rarely opted by developers due to its low popularity.

The Installation Process

React Native:

Node Package Manager (NPM) is required to install the RN framework. NPM can install the packages globally as well as locally. For this, it is essential for the React Native App developers to have knowledge of the location of the binary.

Also, the Homebrew package manager is required while installing React Native on macOS. The developers need to run the desired code for installing React Native on macOS and then access it from the command line.

Flutter:

For installing Flutter, one should download the binary for a particular platform from GitHub. For macOS, the developers should download the file- flutter.zip and add it as a PATH variable and then run the desired code.

The installation method of Flutter is a bit tedious and can be enhanced by supporting package managers like MacPorts, Homebrew, APT, YUM, etc. so that users can get rid of performing the extra steps while installing.

Architecture Supported by Each

React Native:

The latest architecture of React Native is based on 3 important threads namely: Native thread (where native code is placed and executed), JavaScript thread (where complete JavaScript code is kept and compiled), and Shadow thread (where the app’s layout is calculated).

React Native has a bridge between JavaScript and Native threads. According to this feature, the JavaScript code communicates with the Native API and the platform. Also, when it comes to iOS, React Native makes use of JavaScriptCore separately for running all codes, whereas in the case of Android, it bundles the JavaScriptCore within the app. This will increase native functionality, however, it also increases the size of the app and that results in device lag or performance issues.

Flutter:

Flutter has a layered architecture. Developing a basic app in Flutter starts with platform-specific widgets or top-level root functions. Next, it is followed by basic widgets that communicate with rendering layers and the platform. Animation gestures exist just beyond the rendering layer, and this animation gesture transfers API calls to the foundation of the mobile app; also called Scaffold. It is run by a platform-specific embedder and a C/C++ engine. For separating the presentation layer from business logic, the Flutter app developers can utilize Flutter BLoC. Such architecture eases the creation of complex apps with the use of simple and small components.

Development API and UI Components

React Native:

There are very few features and functionalities available in core React Native. This framework comes with just device access APIs and UI rendering. But using third-party libraries, this shortcoming can be overcome. For accessing native modules, RN makes use of several third-party libraries. You can find the list of the best-known UI component libraries here.

Flutter:

On the other hand, the Flutter framework comes with device API access, UI rendering components, testing, navigation, stateful management, and a plethora of libraries. In Flutter, you will have access to everything required for architecting mobile apps and so, there’s no need to use third-party libraries. It also comes with widgets for Cupertino and Material Design that enable the developers to render the UI on both Android and iOS platforms with ease.

The Convenience of Maintaining Code

React Native:

It is a bit difficult to upgrade and maintain code in React Native mobile apps. One of the key reasons behind this is the dependency on third-party libraries. Usually, the libraries are old and outdated and cannot be properly maintained, thus, affecting the code maintainability. Besides, there are chances that when the developers fork the code to suit the app requirement, it may interfere with the framework’s logic and slow down the overall development process.

Flutter:

On the contrary, code maintenance in Flutter is quite easier. It has simple code which allows the Flutter app developers to easily find issues, support third-party libraries, and even source external tools. Also, the hot-reloading property in Flutter is comparatively better than that in React Native and it helps to resolve several issues quickly.

Modularity

Note: Modularity refers to the ability of a framework to enable different professionals with diverse experiences and technical skillsets to work on a single project.

React Native:

React Native offers less modularity support. At times, React developers, iOS developers, Android developers, etc. working on a project, may find it tough to match up with each other.

Flutter:

Comparatively, Flutter provides better modularity for team diversity and also supports well while dividing the project codes into separate modules with its pub package system. The teams can easily add/change a code-base or construct various modules with the plug-in ability.

Testability of Code

React Native:

In React Native app development projects, there is no official support available for integration testing and UI-level testing. It offers just a few unit-level testing frameworks. Tools like Jest can be utilized for snapshot testing. Also, there are some third-party tools like Detox and Appium that can be used for testing the React Native apps even though these aren’t supported officially by the React Native team.

Flutter:

Since Flutter functions with Dart, it provides excellent support for automated testing. Also, it offers a rich set of features for testing the applications at the integration level, unit level, widget level, etc. Furthermore, it offers detailed documentation on testing the Flutter apps.

Concluding Views:

In this fast-paced digital era, having a high-quality, user-friendly, and responsive mobile app for your business is crucial. For developing such outstanding mobile apps, both frameworks - React Native and Flutter - have proved to be apt technologies. But, which of these is the best pick for your project?

Well, we have tried to explain this aspect in this post and in Part I. We hope this post has provided you with an in-depth understanding of the good and the bad of both technologies. Also, these detailed insights will help you make an informed decision on whether to partner with a Flutter App Development Company or go for React Native App Development Company

Healthcare App Benefits and Downsides with Ethical Considerations

Healthcare apps and wellness trackers have gained traction during the last decade. And, the social distancing protocol enforced by the pandemic has accelerated the adoption rate of health apps like never before.

Check out these interesting stats on healthcare application development and usage as per a study conducted by the online research portal sourcetoad.com:

• Healthcare app development has sky-rocketed with an average of 250 apps launched daily.
• The market value of medical apps was $40.05 Billion in 2020. According to industry experts, this value will reach $100 billion by the year 2023.
• Healthcare app categories like telehealth and virtual care have gained more popularity as compared to other categories: 74% of consumers preferred telehealth services and 57% vouched for virtual care apps.

Healthcare apps come with endless benefits to patients, practitioners as well as care providers. But, are all health apps secure and reliable? Health apps have their share of downsides as they handle personal patient information and sensitive medical data. Many are raising questions on the ethical implications of patient data handling processes as well.

Let’s discuss in detail the advantages and downsides of medical apps. Also, learn about the corrective measures and best practices to mitigate the existing bottlenecks in the healthcare app industry.

Healthcare App Advantages

Advanced Patient Services

Telehealth apps offer convenient patient services like online appointment scheduling/rescheduling/cancellation, remote doctor consultations for common ailments, and e-prescription uploading. Advanced communication capabilities like preliminary diagnoses via video conferencing and instant interaction with doctors and other medical professionals using text messages, emails, voice calls, etc. simplifies things for the patient community.

Reminder apps and e-prescription apps facilitate chronic disease management. These apps help patients to stick to stringent medication regimes, set reminders for pill intake, and refill medicines before it runs out of stock. Pharmacy applications enable online medication ordering and door-step delivery.

Clinical Assistance

Clinical assistance apps offer supportive software for medical practitioners. Such apps come with medical calculators, clinical decision-making functionalities, and disease diagnosis assistance functions. Medical professionals can benefit from the various references and databases providing information about drugs, healthcare terminologies, medical conditions, symptoms of diseases, and guides on medication compatibility. 

Healthcare Data Storage/Management 

Healthcare facilities need to handle humongous data and hence data management becomes challenging with traditional solutions. However, healthcare apps integrated with EHR (Electronic Health Records) simplify the processes of organizing and managing data effectively. These apps automatically gather and record patient data like personal information, demographics, previous treatment history, allergies, chronic conditions, immunizations, radiology reports, billing info, etc. from different sources. EHR systems enable providers to store medical data in a way that promotes clarity, transparency, and accuracy. 

EMR (Electronic Medical Records) stores information about patients’ clinical data, ongoing treatment particulars, etc. Such records help clinicians monitor patients in a better way, assess how patients are responding to a specific course of treatment, and find out the patients who are due for follow-up visits or preventive screenings.

Medical database software converts patient data like healthcare/treatment history, medications, imaging/lab results, procedures, etc. into electronic data. This data is categorized by employing various filters and is stored for internal usage within the facility.

Wellness Tracking: Wearables & Fitness Apps

Fitness applications track the health vitals of users including steps walked, calories burnt, heart rate, water consumption, body weight, etc. using wearable devices. This provides users with quantifiable data on their health parameters and level of fitness. These apps also set fitness goals for users and offer dietary suggestions, encouraging them to practice a healthy lifestyle and adhere to wellness regimes. Users get reminders for activities like drinking water, exercising, and so on. Some fitness apps even make use of intelligent strategies like offering positive feedback and even gamification for motivating users toward a healthy lifestyle. Such apps monitor users’ health vitals and provide a report of their progress periodically. The users can share their fitness-related success stories on social media amongst like-minded people and also opt for joint wellness experiences on social media.

Today, fitness apps are leveraging Artificial Intelligence to obtain the best user outcomes. Machine learning/deep learning algorithms autonomously analyze the healthcare care data collected by the app and the users’ behavioral patterns gathered. This information is then compared with generic human health data contained within a database and matched with the most befitting predefined use case. The algorithms then, draw conclusions and provide users with customized suggestions and corrective measures regarding exercise regimes and diet.

Valuable Informational Resources

Healthcare apps are often a valuable and easily accessible storehouse of informational resources for medical students. Students utilize this information for gaining insights on health conditions, treatment, & medication, preparing notes, and drawing inferences. Moreover, apps offer online study material, lectures, healthcare podcasts, drug references, medical guidelines, healthcare calculators, and even quizzes/tests on medical topics.

Practicing HCPs also benefit from the resources and information provided in healthcare applications. Important case studies can be referred to while treating complicated cases and conducting surgeries.

Healthcare App Downsides & their Ethical Implications

Despite the endless advantages of healthcare applications, this approach involves downsides that raise ethical questions as below:

• Is there any protocol to ensure whether clinical data is being entered for the right user at all times?
• Is patient data completely protected from security threats and hackers?
• Where does the healthcare data get stored and who can access this data?
• Can the PHI of patients be used by the app owners or sold to unreliable third parties?
• Can users completely trust the content published and the results generated by healthcare apps?

Let’s explore these aspects in detail!

Data Authentication Errors

Several apps fail to verify whether the clinical findings, e-prescriptions, and other medical diagnoses details are being entered into the profile of the right patients at all times. As a result, the chances of costly errors are quite likely. Such errors may lead to misdiagnosis, wrong treatment/medication, ending up causing harm to patients, and can even be fatal for patients. Furthermore, erratic data may adversely affect clinical research. If incorrect information is used for forming therapeutic deductions, the effectiveness of the research will be hampered and could put billions of investments at stake.

Security Threats

Cyber-security threats like ransomware, phishing attacks, data theft, and unauthorized access can cripple the effectiveness of the healthcare environment altogether. Moreover, data security breaches can lead to hefty fines and penalties for medical entities that have not followed standard security protocols.

Healthcare Data Ownership

Modern-day medical app technologies like AI, ML, etc. can predict user behavior to the minutest detail. And, for obtaining the desired outcome, the relevant contextual patient data including personally identifiable and biometric data has to be fed to the app or system software. Hence, users need to enter personally identifiable data in their profiles and other systems; for reaping the benefits of systems like electronic medical records, biometric scanners, health apps, activity trackers, video doctor consultations, and so on.

Moreover, healthcare data is a valuable source for research teams, analytics identification, and marketers who depend on personal patient data to send relevant promotional offers to their target audiences. As a result, app owners might be tempted to utilize patient data stored in the app as a profitable monetization strategy. Sometimes, data may be sold without the users’ consent in unethical ways to the marketers who offer lucrative deals to app owners.

Clinical Accuracy of Healthcare Apps & the Trustworthiness of App Content

The clinical accuracy and the reliability of quality and scientific correctness of the published content are below average in some healthcare apps and fitness trackers. The anomalies identified in healthcare applications include incomplete information, inaccurate content, variation in content information, improper responses to customer queries, delayed data processing, faulty alarm systems, security gaps in functionalities, and inability to promptly respond to emergency situations. Such inconsistencies may result in life-threatening situations.

Coming to fitness and activity trackers, parameters like step count, health vitals, etc. are not always 100% accurate. This may mislead users in the long run, thereby minimizing the app’s usability.

Corrective Measures for addressing Health App Pitfalls

Data Authentication Protocols

A healthcare app should correctly authenticate the users’ particulars to verify whether the right person is accessing or entering data into a specific user profile. The commonest authentication measures include SSO, two-factor authentication, and implementing technologies like facial recognition, fingerprint readers, etc. within medical apps.

Take a look at how biometric authentication works!

Biometric Authentication System:

Data Security Practices

Strong encryption methodologies, multifactor authentication, and restricting access to sensitive patient data are some of the data security measures that are adopted by app owners. Proper data usage controls should be followed in case of sensitive data. For example, while handling sensitive medical data, all actions like uploading data to the web or sharing data with external sources should be blocked. Managers are advised to log and monitor the usage and access of healthcare data and conduct vulnerability assessment checks periodically, to identify any weak points.

While exchanging data with connected devices powered by IoT, AI, etc., healthcare entities must adhere to these security practices. All the security patches must be installed and the connected devices must be updated regularly. During data exchange with connected devices, all the unnecessary features must be disabled so that only the required data is captured.

Coming to users’ mobile devices; data should be encrypted in transit as well as during storage, robust passwords must be used, and there should be a way to remotely lock stolen devices. Users should be encouraged to update their OS whenever required and install solutions for mobile security and device management.

Segregating the wireless network of your healthcare organization into sub-networks for different groups of users like staff, patients, visitors, third-party partners, etc. is an effective security practice. This allows you to protect your private network from external environments. It is also necessary to backup data regularly on cloud-based systems, for retrieving sensitive data if damaged or lost. The app owner must also check the security readiness of business associates like insurance agencies, pharmacies, etc. with whom the app exchanges medical data.

A Hack-Proof System & Continuous Monitoring

Healthcare providers must ensure that the patient data collected, stored, and used by them is protected from privacy issues, unauthorized access, and unscrupulous practices. So, developers of Healthcare app in USA must create hack-proof software to protect PHI (Protected Health Information).

Internal healthcare networks within an organization are easy to protect as these are mostly intranets that are isolated from other networks. The real challenge is protecting medical data collected by health apps that function across multiple open networks and are accessed from various locations. Also, the existence of several interconnected systems within a healthcare environment complicates developers’ tasks. And, even if the system is end-to-end encrypted, security threats cannot be ruled out. The physical device used to operate the software may lack privacy or safety measures that are usually adopted while developing the application. Also, security practices may become obsolete after a certain time owing to constant technology changes.

Therefore, building a hack-proof software system is not enough. You also need to continuously monitor the app for security loopholes post-deployment and upgrade the app’s infrastructure and security practices as per the changing market requirements. You must necessarily adhere to security compliances like HIPAA mandated by authorities.

Medical App Assessment Protocols

Certain mandated assessment protocols are being introduced to examine the quality and security of healthcare software. The rating scale evaluates healthcare apps based on parameters such as app aesthetics, user engagement, the app’s usability quotient, feature set, and the correctness of the information provided. For instance, MARS is a protocol for assessing mental health apps.

Closing Thoughts:

Healthcare mobile app development is a complex, time-consuming, and costly affair. It involves adherence to a host of regulations, specifications, third-party integrations, and compliances. Also, post-deployment maintenance and support is an essential prerequisite for the smooth functioning of the app, rolling out updates, resolving bugs, and eliminating security woes.  Such requirements can be too much of a challenge for newbies and start-ups. Therefore, it’s advisable for healthcare providers to partner with an experienced healthcare application development company in USA that will provide end-to-end services including post-launch support.