The future of the healthcare industry is going to be different than what we witness today. The growing consumerism along with the fast-paced technological advancements is expected to have a huge impact on the technological transformation of the healthcare sector. The hospital management and government are reconsidering the ways to optimize the inpatient and outpatient settings. The COVID-19 pandemic has further increased the demand for modernization of the healthcare system. Besides accommodating the patients, the healthcare management has to evolve methods to establish remote connectivity with the common patients and benefit them. HIPAA compliant Health apps have aptly grabbed this opportunity to emerge as one of the major healthcare trends. The professionals in the medical industry have successfully developed and launched many healthcare apps. The pragmatic functions and interesting features have gripped consumer attention. Mobile health apps have gained tremendous momentum and the future is expected to be bright. The market size is estimated to grow at an 11.8% CAGR till 2030. The growth rate highlights a promising future for individual health apps. However, we also need to reflect on how app development in healthcare will shape the future of the healthcare sector.

Apps and Their Scope of Implementation

The Scope of health apps in the healthcare sector can be broadly classified into three different categories:

1. Remote healthcare solutions

Such solutions are primarily focused to benefit the patients located in remote areas with inaccessible medical facilities.

2. Healthcare system core strengthening

Healthcare application development can be used to develop apps that improve the productivity of the system by affecting every aspect from user data collection, healthcare surveillance, to healthcare administration.

3. Empowered consumers with smart monitoring 

Advanced technologies can be utilized to develop healthcare apps that empower individuals to monitor their health without crowding any healthcare center.

4. Improved medical education and training

Using advanced technologies in the apps, medical schools are providing better mechanisms for accessing data and conducting training. A healthcare application development company is going to play a vital role in empowering the providers and consumers on all these three fronts. Let us get into details: 

Remote Healthcare Solutions

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the shortcomings in the healthcare system. App development in healthcare is empowering individual hospitals and healthcare providers with the ability for remote diagnostics, electronic prescriptions, and e-billing. We are entering into an era where consumers can get online consultations for minor health issues. Advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are making way for applications capable of stimulating surgical procedures. The use of mobile apps is not meant to replace the existing medical infrastructure but to complement them in resource management and patient handling. We are going to witness a rise in the number of patient-centric health applications meant to help them with appointment scheduling, e-consultations, maintaining health records, and gaining access to prescriptions from the comfort of their homes.

Healthcare System Core Strengthening

The pandemic also exposed the failure of the public healthcare system in addressing the masses. Today, the next pedestal of improvement can be strengthening the core functioning of the healthcare system. Applications in health care can be utilized to streamline and fasten the emergency response of healthcare providers. Health apps contribute to user data accumulation for better healthcare surveillance. Besides the user-centric apps, there are medical apps that gather information regarding clinical procedures and medical histories to assist healthcare professionals in providing better healthcare services. These apps can also be used to conduct different tests such as hearing and vision tests. As we progress further, we are going to come across applications for monitoring, imaging, patient education, and nursing. The hospital administration can use the apps to streamline their work, store data, manage patients, maintain the hospital decorum, and minimize the chances of the wrong diagnosis. The hospitals can primarily use the applications to improve doctor-patient communication and customer satisfaction.

Empowered Consumers with Smart Monitoring

App development in healthcare has given birth to a new perspective on educating patients. Advanced technologies such as AI, and data analytics have improved the ways of remote healthcare management. Health and fitness apps have witnessed a sudden surge in demand in recent years. The benefits such as exercise tracking, diet management, body parameters monitoring, and timely notifications have made consumers self-sufficient. Consumers are becoming health conscious, counting their calories with every step. The self-monitoring cult in the demographics has reduced the footfall in healthcare centers. These apps have also empowered the vulnerable section of society such as disabled and senior citizens to take care of themselves independently. The apps for pharmacies have further of made increased the self-management in patients. There is still a lot of room for growth and development in self-management apps.

Improved Medical Education and Training

App development in healthcare is benefitting medical students in multiple ways such as accessing details regarding medical conditions, performing calculations, and recording their experiences. This unique use case is promoting a ‘learn anywhere’ culture in the educational setting. The apps are also used for knowledge assessment and tests.

What Lies Ahead?

App development in healthcare can be perceived as a futuristic concept. The use of the apps starts with the prevention and management of chronic health issues such as diabetes and Heart ailments. In the future, we are going to see apps that offer improved patient compliance. Mobile apps have brought in huge white spaces of growth in direct communication between the patient and the healthcare provider. We are going to witness mobile apps with larger databases and better customer handling capacity. Algorithms based on AI can help improve patient monitoring systems. Next in line can be the healthcare app development companies creating custom-designed patient care settings and apps. More and more healthcare providers are going to contribute in app development, making this landscape customer-friendly and competitive. The e-pharmacies are already increasing the competition.

Currently, app development in healthcare is dealing with unregulated de​velopment practices. The growing awareness about the benefits of these apps is expected to bring in government intervention, making the medical apps market a quality-driven ecosystem. The apps claiming therapeutic and clinical efficacy will be undergoing evaluations to confirm their claims. In the coming years, the healthcare sector will get smart with these apps. These apps are going to benefit the medical industry with productivity, decision-making, efficiency, convenience, and accuracy. In the future, the healthcare industry is going to be empowered with technology. Healthcare strategies and technology may become inseparable.

Conclusion

A healthcare application can be eyed as the technical wealth of the healthcare sector helpful in developing digital healthcare infrastructure. The easy access to medical records, seamless communication between healthcare professionals, better patient education, and improved patient connectivity is forging a very streamlined and sophisticated infrastructure for healthcare institutions. The paperwork and legacy system will be replaced by a highly competitive and automated mechanism. At the same time, higher awareness and self-care in patients will reduce the footfall in medical institutions and instill confidence in the system. App development in healthcare can be used to develop building blocks for digital transformation. These healthcare apps will undergo further evaluations and validations to find a use case in most clinical practices. The apps ecosystem may change but the ultimate motive behind using these apps will continue to be a streamlined healthcare system and better remote healthcare facilities.