A smooth and warm interaction between the doctor and the patient is important for better healthcare outcomes and improved patient/physician satisfaction. However, monitoring and treating patients remotely is a hurdle for physicians and it is a hassle for patients too to visit the facility for follow-up visits. In the present digital age with advanced technology, this gap can be filled with mobile apps, which makes mobile app development an important consideration for healthcare providers. It is the process of building and developing software and application programs for mobile phones and smart gadgets. The use of mobile is growing drastically and various studies show that our future will be ruled by mobile technology. Apps enable physicians to reach their patients anywhere any time and also help improve the operating performance of their medical practices. Mobile apps allow healthcare professionals to provide the necessary instructions to patients from time-to-time and stay updated regarding the patient’s progress effectively.
Mobile
Apps are revolutionary in the present world and an increasing number of people
engage with physicians through mobile apps. Mobile apps may be native apps or
hybrid apps.
Native apps: These are built for specific platforms that are written in the languages the platform accepts. They are very fast and responsive and offer intuitive user input and output, and don’t require any internet connection.
Hybrid
apps: Hybrid app is a combination of web apps and native apps that consist of
two parts – the back end code and native shell that is downloadable and loads
the code using a web view. They are less expensive and do not require any
browser and can leverage device APIs. But they are a little slower than native
apps and the app cannot be customized to individual platforms.
Google’s Flutter and Facebook’s React Native are narrowing the gap between hybrid and native apps. The framework of both Flutter and React are distinctive in their own ways but both offer next level app development opportunities:
Choice of Tools and IDEs: IDE (integrated development environment) constitutes software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development. Working in the development environment of your preference is essential as it allows you to work with different platforms and devices that your audience will use your app on. You need to leverage a framework where you can build your app using versatile tools and IDEs. In the case of tool selection, React provides a better range when compared to Flutter. This is because React was launched much before Flutter and is much more user-friendly for IDE developers. Though Google’s Flutter offers a more streamlined approach to configuration and setup, it is only supported by three IDEs – Android Studio, VS Code and Intelli IJDEA.
Time for app development: The time taken for creating an app is important especially if you are on a time crunch. So using the best framework is crucial for optimum results in a short time. Flutter is known for its fast development, reloading capabilities and customization using widgets. This helps you develop a native interface for your mobile apps in minutes. React offers components that are built-in, ready-to-use and helps make development even faster.
Client use: Developing apps in environments or frameworks that your client uses helps you make money in app development. When it comes to client use, React is more widely adopted by developers because more clients use this framework. This is because its framework has been out since 2015 and is used to build and develop popular apps by large corporations, such as Skype, Uber, and Pinterest.
Language: You can create a mobile app effectively only if you are familiar with the programming language. Developers use language that is easy to understand to develop and build mobile apps. Both React and Flutter are different in the case of the languages they support. Flutter uses Google’s Dart programming language whereas React uses the popular programming language JavaScript. JavaScript is one of the top 50 mobile programming languages of 2018 and is used by 82.6 percent of developers. This shows that React may provide a better solution to develop a mobile app.
Documentation: Flutter’s documentation is structured and straightforward and it is simple to read due to its clear format style whereas React’s documentation is different because it is much less structured and dependent on external development kits.
User interface: The interface of Flutter and React are very different from each other. In the case of UI (user interface), Flutter provides various options and it is flexible enough due to its customizable widgets. It ensures a smooth, natural scrolling and rich motion APIs and animations. React provides a seamless experience with animation implementation. This is because of its extensive options for external developer’s kits for UI.
Performance: If you are giving more importance to performance, then you may want to consider the capabilities of Flutter as it provides higher performance than React due to its standard 60 frames per second. Though React has this capability, its performance may fall short due to its need to bridge interfaces with JavaScript.
Both
Flutter and React have advantages and disadvantages of their own. Choosing the
right framework depends upon your need. Developing mobile apps is not an easy task;
however, today there are expert medical SEO service
providers that offer mobile app development to physicians and medical units. It
is important to choose the right provider that offers optimum results at reasonable
pricing.
itle="Mobile App Development" href="https://www.medresponsive.com/services/healthcare-app-development/">Mobile app development
plays a crucial role in medical business marketing as they help to constructively engage with potential patients and healthcare consumers, and develop your brand. Technology is racing ahead with IoT, cloud computing, Beacon etc and gadgets like Google glass, Apple watches and so on. To enable healthcare businesses to keep ahead in the race, healthcare SEO services have become vital. Among the customer-oriented solutions they offer are medical software development and mobile app development that have increased significance now since people constantly connect with each other on their mobile devices.
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a much discussed topic now. It refers to a network of objects or device, that contain embedded technology which help to communicate and interact with each other. It is a concept that is gradually defining the way people live and work. It changes the way we see and perceive things and it has grown over the years. IoT helps people to connect all electronic devices to the Internet with the help of a button. Innovators are making the maximum use of IoT, developing excellent products and services for their customers.
IoT is becoming increasingly popular because of its ease of use and the convenience that it offers. This means that there is a subsequent demand for apps for devices that include monitoring systems for SMBs and enterprises, navigation, computing and many more.
IoT is scaling with the ability to take any device, gadget or anything that runs on electricity to be controlled by existing technology. It is emerging at a fast pace and has impacted various areas of our lives and how we work. Using the various devices via the internet means that apps can push notifications directly to your phone. This allows you to control systems even when you are away. The IoT is set to bring a new movement of app development, especially IoT apps. These apps combine connected devices, sensors, networking, cloud and analytics. Innumerable combinations and permutations of these components allow you to create brand new applications, each serving a unique purpose. Mobile app developers have possibly made the maximum use of IoT, optimizing its ubiquity and finding maximum customers.
Role of IoT in Healthcare
The use of home-used medical devices is increasing every year so as to reduce the number of people consulting the doctor for minor things. With the help of IoT, all these devices can be connected with sensors thereby transmitting all the data on the device into an app and then into a smartphone.
According to a new report from MarketResearch.com, “the healthcare Internet of Things market segment is poised to hit $117billion by 2020. Some of the applications of IoT include chronic disease management, remote clinical monitoring and assisted living and wellness and preventive care”.
Developing a Mobile Network
Mobile phones are widely used across the globe and since the early 2000s, mobile phones and smartphones have increased at a pace which beats that of most other digital devices. Almost every individual owns a smartphone now and spends up to 5 hours per day on it. App developers capitalize on this opportunity. There is huge demand for these services that developers can successfully meet, mainly due to the huge cost-reduction and efficiency optimization the IoT ensures.
IoT has created a huge market demand for mobiles phones to spread out and connect to one another, and it has spurred ever greater investment in mobile phones and the development of apps for them.
IoT helps the world’s greatest developers to network and cooperate with one another more easily than ever before.
The Internet of Things has enabled increased mobile development by building an enormous mobile network to generate demand for mobile apps.
IoT’s entrepreneur-friendly quality is reinforced by innovative start-up companies, and the greatest impact may have been from companies that know how to exploit the power of the IoT to better promote their mobile apps.
Beneficial for New and Innovative Businesses
Mobile apps are user-friendly and efficient, and that is the main reason why mobile users spend such a large amount of time on them. These characteristic features of mobile apps are enabled by the flawless connectivity offered by the IoT and present-day networks. Another important thing to note is that, you can easily share your favorite apps with others on social media. IoT has created new platforms for developers to thrive in, bringing them immense benefits.
Uber is a striking example of a company that has successfully connected together mobile apps and IoT. The company can track its potential customers and large fleet at the same time, allowing customers to call a cab with the mere swipe of a finger. Uber’s success lies in its speed of response and the special information it offers customers, both made possible by the data it gathers from all of its app users. Without IoT to build the foundation for its business, Uber and many other companies of the 21st century could never have taken off.
As more and more people utilize digital devices and IoT, the demand for privacy and security also increases. Therefore mobile app developers now ensure protection for their customers’ personal information via encryption of data. IoT will continue to grow, and mobile app development will have to evolve with it because they contribute to one another’s development and thereby benefit users.
Developing a mobile app allows your consumers to have the information they need at their fingertips anywhere, at any time. Today there are many mobile apps in the market and every business has to have innovative features in their apps to stay ahead of the competition. Medical SEO services include innovative mobile app development for healthcare professionals, hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare entities. Customers can benefit from personalized and responsive apps that help to reach out to the targeted audience and meet their specific needs.
Our world has become highly tech savvy and a large number of people rely on mobile devices to find information about everything under the sun. Mobile devices and mobile apps have penetrated into all industries and the healthcare industry is no exception. The healthcare industry is expanding in the field of mobile app development and it has helped in boosting doctor-patient interaction. Today, people are increasingly health conscious and do research on the internet before they make any medical decision. This has in turn led to the development of mobile apps that have become important for healthcare SEO too. Medical apps are helpful for patients at the time of illness and also for people in remote areas. Mobile apps for healthcare organizations deliver quality services and ensure increased patient interaction with minimum complexity.
Recent Significant Changes in Mobile App Development
Aggregator apps are the new trend today. These can organize content from different sources on the web and integrate them into an easy to follow interface. These apps are useful mainly for people who do not have the time or desire to browse various websites or download apps. Another trend that has gained popularity is the hybrid monetization models, like in-app purchases and in-app ads. Analysis shows that in-app advertising would be a key technique of mobile app development in the coming years. Other technologies such as SmartTV, Smartwatches, IoT etc are expected to grow in the future.
Changing Face of the Mobile App Market
Almost 87 percent Android smartphones are sold worldwide and Apple’s iOS has 11 percent share in the market. Since access to fast internet is easy now, smartphones with powerful graphics and high speed processors are becoming profit-generating machines for mobile app development companies. From 2015, mobile applications have been witnessing a greater use. Following are the significant changes observed:
The use of digital versions of newspapers and magazines that are compatible with Mobile View has increased by 135 percent.
The customization applications have seen surprising increase in usage by 332 percent
Social media applications, sports, health, and fitness utilities are emerging rapidly.
Applications and productivity tools like Wunderlist, Pocket, Google Keep and Letterspace witnessed a 125 percent boost.
Lifestyle and shopping applications have created a great buzz in the market and there is no sign of stopping it.
Ongoing Trends in 2017
Accelerated Mobile Page: A small circle with a lightening symbol inside it in Google search results shows that the webpage is an accelerated mobile page (AMP). The focus of AMP is faster mobile websites. AMP also supports a range of ad network, technologies and format. AMP visitors’ analytics automatically tracks visitors’ data like conversion, video and link tracking and more.
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR): In 2016 Pokemon Go was introduced which became popular and the AR development will continue to rise. This game proved that AR technology has greater potential in engaging users. So many applications have started using AR technology and this trend is expected to continue in the coming years. Google invented VR in 2014 and it has come a long way since then in terms of accessibility and performance. VR compatible apps especially games are more immersive than other applications.
IoT with Driverless cars and smartphones: With IoT i.e. Internet of Things, we are able to see various Smart Homes and self driving cars. The integration requires complex mobile platform and backend architecture that can interact and share data between all devices for a unified experience. It is the IoT enabled sensors that helps self-driving cars get information about traffic, weather, navigation via ad hoc networks in order to get all things done correctly. The same technique applies for Smartphones also like switching on and switching off lights, locking and unlocking doors etc.
Instant apps: Google recently announced Android Instant Apps that enable Android apps to run instantly. These applications need not be downloaded and installed on a device; users can access a wide range of apps seamlessly. This enables the users to use a specific feature from the app without actually installing it on the device. Android Instant apps are still in their initial stage and available for Androids, but sooner or later they will be available across platforms.
Healthcare Consumers’ Expectations Will Continue to Rise
Regardless of the industry, almost all patients, healthcare users and customers do not prefer manual paper-based processes that are slow. Proper access to services or information has become a basic necessity to all individuals and consumer expectations are likely to increase in the years to come. More and more organizations are now in the process of digitalization that will accelerate further and ultimately improve workflow and delivery of patient care.
Mobile app development has become a crucial part of healthcare digital marketing and helps physicians monitor several aspects of their patients’ health. It helps in getting the lab results easily, providing instant feedback to patients, managing appointments and so on.
It is quite evident from today’s lifestyle that people greatly rely on mobile and mobile apps to meet various requirements including healthcare. This has made healthcare digital marketing very significant. Rapid increase in the number of smartphone users and the rising health consciousness are the main reasons for the increasing demand for mobile app in health care industry.
Medical apps have made a huge change in how patients relate to their physicians and vice versa. Doctor-patient interaction is the most important element in the healthcare industry, and one of the most challenging tasks doctors have is monitoring patients in remote areas.
However, with the help of mobile apps the gap between the patient and the doctor can be reduced and hence many healthcare providers are developing versatile mobile apps and experiencing remarkable improvement in efficiency.
Medical mobile apps help ensure quality patient care, better improved workflow and increased patient interaction.
Nurx: App Delivering Birth Control and HIV Prevention Drug at Your Doorstep
A good example of a mobile app that provides patients easier access to necessary services, and allows them better control over their medical decisions is Nurx, developed by a Silicon Valley start-up.
Nurx allows customers to have birth control and an HIV prevention drug known as pre exposure prophylaxis (PreEP) delivered to their doorstep without actually visiting a doctor. The site allows women to buy birth control, whether a pill, patch or emergency contraceptive and gives men and women access to PrEP. The new app aims at making healthcare more accessible and with this app millions of American women who lack access to birth control can gain access and prevent unintended pregnancies. This is a free service and customers only pay for the medication. The prices vary on the basis of the birth control type and the consumer’s insurance. If you have insurance that covers birth control, the medications are free and if it doesn’t, prices for the pill start at $15 per month.
Nurx accepts Medicaid in California and is working to spread to other states. The company makes money by charging insurance companies for e-consultation and for drugs that are shipped out. On Nurx’s website women are free to choose which birth control they’d like or get the recommendation from a doctor. The doctor prescribing the drug has to comply with state age requirements for patients, and this varies across the US. Each woman is required to answer a series of medical questions and a doctor licensed in the patient’s state reviews all the answers before writing a prescription that will be filled by a partnering pharmacy. Nurx was founded in December 2015. It operates in five states including Illinois and the District of Columbia. It is now working on launching in Virginia, Florida, Missouri, Ohio, Maryland, Delware and Minnesota. The service is increasing in demand according to spokespersons especially because of the convenience it offers patients. Women with limited time or limited access to pharmacies/clinics, and women in rural areas having limited access to reproductive health services and who may have to travel longer distances to receive care find this service very useful. The company expects to be in 20 states in the near future. Since its founding, Nurx has raised $5.3 million in funding.
Mobile app development helps physicians to monitor several aspects of their patient’s health and it is also important for digital marketing for healthcare. Apps are becoming increasingly popular, whether people depend on them for faster care and answers to their concerns, or to interact with their care providers. Doctors and other healthcare providers can develop customized apps with the support of a good SEO company.
Google has announced that there will be separate search index for mobile web and with recent changes to Google, it is more important than ever for medical businesses to leverage digital marketing for healthcare. The dependency of people on mobile devices is increasing every year and mobile apps have taken over the healthcare industry, also ensuring a hassle free physician-patient interaction. The quality of healthcare depends on a smooth and healthy interaction between patients and their doctors.
Outsourcing Mobile App Development
The following are five main reasons for outsourcing mobile app development.
A lot of components must be integrated for developing a mobile app and mobile app development services have the required expertise in subject matter, technical aspects, and industry knowledge. It also helps to be up-to-date with the dynamics in mobile app industry for better output.
Budget is one of the main constraints when it comes to mobile app development and medical businesses and physicians are constantly looking for app solutions that can satisfy their needs at minimal cost. Hiring a reliable vendor will help you to find a solution that fits your budget.
For successful mobile app development, you need to compile a database of information about the intended audience and the industry. Therefore it is important to conduct a thorough market research as it helps to determine the best possible outcome and ensure transparency throughout.
Outsourcing to a reliable mobile app development company also helps in efficient resource management. It helps physicians to focus on providing quality care for patients and this creates more opportunity for the app to succeed among other competitors.
A professional mobile app development agency provides end-to-end services from ideation to technical support. This ensures physicians and other healthcare entities a protected environment to experiment with mobile apps.
Currently there are around 1,50,500 healthcare industry specific apps. This is because of the increased use of mobile apps and smartphones. This makes digital marketing for healthcare very important.
Health app types include:
Clinical
Monitoring
Reminder
Clinical assistance
General facility
Efficiency/Communication
Patient portal
Reference/Database
Health apps provide support in the following ways.
Keep track of patient records easily
Obtaining patient health records is easy
Offer techniques for time management
Smooth communication channel for physicians and patients
They should be using the latest technologies and keeping abreast with the latest trends.
Capability to develop apps having a simple and attractive User Interface (UI).
Ease of accessibility of the apps
When outsourcing your mobile app development, you can successfully become “mobile first,” which is the need of the day. You needn’t compromise on your resources, yet enjoy the most prominent benefits of an app-focused strategy.
