Healthcare apps in 2022: Must have features and types of apps

From a series of events we have seen over the past two years, it is clear that people have become more conscious about their health. And with the proliferation of technology, access to online healthcare consultation has also increased. According to a report published by Mckinsey, doctors render online consultation to patients 50 to 175 times higher than the pre-pandemic levels. These stats indicate the importance of app development for healthcare.

Healthcare apps, especially after the pandemic has seen a humongous rise and investments from several businesses. Also, the advent of new-age technologies such as Artificial (AR) and Augmented Reality (AR) have aided in the transformation of the healthcare sector and helped the patients dramatically.

Several health app features allow the patients to have consultations with the doctor without even stepping out of their homes. And the horizon of the healthcare industry is not limited to just telehealth. By using AI and Machine Learning (ML), different types of healthcare apps can follow human emotions and provide them with better treatment.

Therefore, in this blog, we will study in detail the different health app features that are needed to make a competent healthcare app in 2022. In addition, we will see the different types of healthcare apps and the type of healthcare software required according to the modern-day audience.

Why is healthcare tech important in the modern era?

Before getting into the details of different types of healthcare apps and the type of healthcare software required, it is necessary to understand the importance of healthcare tech.

The innovation in the realm of healthcare tech has reached a whole new level. If we consider their importance in the US economy, it will account for 26% of the GDP by 2040. Now, these numbers are staggering! Even the use of telemedicine has increased in the US after the pandemic and has reached a whopping 46% by the end of 2021.

These numbers are mind-boggling, but they state the importance of healthcare tech in the coming time clearly. This niche has a large appetite for app development and will need good investment in the future. So, the business houses that ride on the bandwagon will enjoy the early-bird advantage in the future.

Now, let us get back to the main points and discuss the healthcare app features.

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Healthcare app features

The leading healthcare app features can be divided into 3 different segments:

• Features from the patient’s end
• Features of doctors’ end
• Features in the healthcare information system (HIS)

1. Patient app:  Features

• Easy appointment: Booking an online appointment must be a ‘must-have’ feature in any healthcare app. This feature saves invaluable time and would allow the patient to get immediate consultation without waiting in long queues during the time of emergencies. This healthcare app feature should be integrated into the app and must be real-time.

• e-Prescription: This feature will help the patients to get error-free prescriptions every time. Moreover, it also helps doctors to have better communication with the patients and render them consultation with better satisfaction. The e-prescription will also have information related to all the electronically connected pharmacies so the patient will not have any trouble finding the medicines.

• Electronic health records (EHR): Just like e-prescription, the EHR healthcare app feature is a boon for both doctors and patients. This feature will allow the app to store the medical history of the patient in a single space. And with this database, the doctor would get a better idea about the condition of the patient and prescribe them better medicines.

The doctor can also remotely evaluate the health of the patient by referring to the records in the EHR database.

• Telemedicine: For chronic conditions, the telemedicine healthcare app feature can assist doctors greatly. With these features, the patient would be able to comprehend their condition in a better way to the doctor as compared to regular interaction. And this is the reason why the adoption of telemedicine healthcare app features has increased close to 60% in the past year.

• Pill reminder: It is one of the core, basic features of the healthcare app. This feature reminds the patients through push notifications and makes them take their medicines on time. Because failing to take medicines regularly may disrupt the treatment process and may aggravate the disease even more. In addition, with the pill reminder healthcare app feature, the patient can design their customized schedule after consulting the doctor.

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2. Doctors’ app: Features

• Creating doctors’ profiles: Finding the right doctor is one of the most crucial steps on any patient’s road to recovery. Therefore, a neatly written doctor’s profile will cut down the time to find the right physician. And we all understand what crucial role time plays in case of emergency. The doctors can include their certifications, years of experience, qualifications, expertise, etc. to make the patients understand what they do. Moreover, reviews and ratings alongside the profile would help the first-timers (patients) to find the right doctor quickly.

• Patient’s dashboard: This healthcare app feature will allow the doctor to see all the needed information related to the patient in one place. This feature can also configure the crucial information for the patient’s case so the doctor could get an even better idea about the problem. They can then plan the treatment process more effectively and can offer better plans for better results.

• Work management: Doctors are also humans. They too need an effective schedule to keep their productivity levels intact and render the best services to the customers. A schedule/work management healthcare app feature will enable the doctors to manage their workload easily apart from booking appointments with their patients. A competent schedule management feature is necessary for healthcare apps as it would help in reducing the chaos that could create major work hurdles at the time of emergencies.

• Photo capture: Images are very necessary for doctors to compare the before and after the condition of the patients. Therefore, with the clinical photo capture feature, they would be able to consistently monitor the condition of the patient and make tweaks in the treatment process if required. Furthermore, it could also help the doctors to consult other patients with similar ailments and narrow the burden of research related to each case.

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3. Healthcare information system: Features

The main aim of the healthcare information system is to store and maintain all the necessary records related to the patients. Whether it is maintaining the admission/discharge reports or doing inventory management, a well-oiled healthcare information system (HIS) is essential. Below are the important HIS healthcare app features that could make a difference.

• Doctor management: Here all the information related to the number of hospital staff is stored. The system will allow the doctors (full-time/visiting) to register their records. Therefore, the system will have all the information related to the staff strength and will help in better case allocation according to the availability of doctors and the nursing staff.

• Patient management: Along with the medical data analysis of the patient, this healthcare app feature will have the required administrative tools to help the hospital function better. The patient management system will also enhance the patient-doctor relationship as this feature goes beyond the regular EMR and EHR.

• Inventory management: Inventory management is essential for the smooth operation of any hospital. Systematic inventory management plays a vital role in the medical distribution and streamlining of supplies.  Therefore, an automated inventory management system with the help of barcodes and RFIDs would be crucial for hospitals.

• Money management: Automatic payment management, just like inventory management, will reduce the problems created due to human errors. Through this system, an automatic invoice will be generated for every patient and it will also help in keeping the record of every payment. Moreover, the money management system can also be used to auto-generate the pay slips for the hospital staff as well.

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Different types of healthcare software

The healthcare app market is on the rise and is forecasted to expand at a CAGR rate of 13.8% between 2019-2027. So to understand the growth of this realm, it is essential to know what are the different types of healthcare software that are used the most. Let us have a look:

1. Medical database software:

The main purpose of the medical database software is to store the medical and treatment history of the patients. And the database here in this type of healthcare software is categorized by the disease. Through the medical database software, the doctors can make better decisions by cross-referring to similar cases. In addition, they can also review clinical cases of a given disease and treat the patient better.

2. Medical diagnosis software:

The medical diagnosis type of healthcare software assists the doctors to fill in the gaps that prevent them from providing an accurate diagnosis. This software uses the brilliance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to understand the situation of the patient and prescribe an appropriate diagnosis. There are different individual medical diagnosis apps available and their usage has been on the rise since the covid pandemic.

3. Telemedicine software:

The market of telemedicine is booming and one of the main reasons behind this spectacular rise is that it renders it convenient for both patients and doctors. This type of healthcare software has video conferencing that helps the healthcare professionals to understand the ailment of the patient and provide the proper treatment. Moreover, the software is complemented by e-prescriptions and a billing module that streamlines the entire medical treatment.

4. Scheduling software:

The booking software helps the hospitals and doctors to manage their workload. Through this scheduling healthcare software, the hospital administrators would get automatic reminders and notifications about appointments so that every patient could be given equal importance.

5. Patient remote monitoring software:

This type of healthcare software uses technologies such as AI and AR and collects patient data outside the hospitals. Thanks to Remote Monitoring Software (RPM), doctors could carry out the diagnosis process in remote places. This type of healthcare software is extremely useful in testing times such as the outbreak of the covid pandemic and could be instrumental in saving many lives.

6. Healthcare billing software:

Here the process of medical billing is automated to reduce human errors. Moreover, this software also enables easy transaction tracking and secure payment methods. Also, due to the advanced analytics, this type of healthcare software can understand the financial condition of the medical institution and render them many cost-saving opportunities.

Different types of healthcare apps

There are a few types of healthcare apps that dominate this horizon and are important to understand as well. These categories are decided according to the different use cases and purposes as well. Let us have a look:

1. Mobile health apps:

The mHealth apps (mobile health) are inbuilt into the smartphone used to assist the user in daily medical purposes. This type of healthcare app may operate using functions such as GPS, camera, microphone, phone speaker, etc., and measure the well-being of the user. Therefore, it would be safe enough to say that the mobile health apps would transform the smartphone into a medical device.

2. Clinical diagnosis apps:

These types of healthcare apps are used to analyze the personal health records of the patients. The clinical diagnosis apps examine patients' X-ray reports, lab test details, etc., and prepare a chart about the possible symptoms based on the list.

3. Medication tracking apps:

The patient needs to stick to their treatment regimen to get the best results. The medication tracking apps inspire them to have their doses on time, take meals at regular intervals, etc. so that they could attain their well-being level easily.

4. Apps for a healthy lifestyle:

These apps are used to educate the patients about keeping a healthy lifestyle and how they can sustain it. So, they have different sections to monitor their nutrition, monitor diet, exercise guides, and more.

Concluding thoughts

The modern-day healthcare system has been able to form an environment where people can get medical assistance from anywhere, anytime. And the healthcare apps have been the mainstay of this revolution. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the different types of healthcare apps and healthcare software for the patients and doctors so that they could make better decisions in the future.

But to avail of the benefits of the healthcare app, it is important to build a competent one first. We at Third Rock Techkno have in-depth industry experience in developing superlative healthcare apps that have assisted doctors, hospitals, and patients. Moreover, our team of professionals is known for rendering customized healthcare app features to provide the maximum benefit to our clients.

So, to understand more about our work, have a look at our portfolio and contact us for the best healthcare app development services now!