HOW HEALTHCARE APPS ARE IMPROVING PATIENT ENGAGEMENT
exciting areas in app development is undoubtedly healthcare management. It has some serious implication in improving healthcare delivery. It also attracts investor interest. In other words, app developers can make a real difference, while also making sure that they get good financial returns.
There are many areas where healthcare application development has made a difference — from hospital management to patient diagnosis. But perhaps the most significant is the improvement in patient engagement. This involves better access, diagnostic abilities and a number of other parameters that impact how patients are engaging with care providers.
These are apps that can help both organisations and the general public. Some apps are meant to connect the patient with their hospital, while some are meant to track the progress of patients. Mobile apps give patients immediate and comprehensive access to a number of healthcare tools. Some of the ways app development is improving patient engagement are:
Storage and access to patient charts
A patient’s chart is the detailed history of the patient condensed in the form of reports and charts. These are critical diagnostic tools that a doctor needs every time the patient comes for a consultation, whether it is a follow-up or a solo visit. The medical history of the patient is particularly important in the case of children, elderly and patients with a serious or chronic illness. A doctor needs to understand the patient’s progress as well as the state of their health.
Usually, this can involve cumbersome record-keeping on the part of the patient who must maintain a file of all the paperwork. If a document is lost, the information is gone forever. Even if a hospital has internal record storage, it does not help a patient when he/she wants to switch doctors or needs the records in an emergency at another location. Healthcare apps are an incredibly easy and accessible solution.
All the patient records are uploaded on the app and updated every time the patient visits the hospital. Accessing the record is as easy as clicking on the app and scrolling through the information. Since healthcare application development takes into account cloud storage, we don’t have to worry about any missing documents. One can access all their medical history anywhere and at any time. The app removes the cumbersome file storage system.
Supporting Telehealth
Telehealth is one aspect of app development that can make a serious difference in the administration of medicine and healthcare delivery across the world. While the immediate focus has been on linking the patients with their doctors, there has also been a focused approach on a more community-based administration of medical care.
Telehealth is meant to bring diagnostic expertise to people who are most in need — people who live in far-flung areas or in countries/cities where affordable healthcare is simply not available. Healthcare application development in such cases has focused on remote diagnosis, ePrescription and even aiding on-ground medical staff. In the future, we may be able to use healthcare IT to make sure that healthcare is accessible for all.
Sharing and working with diagnostic images
This is another diagnostic appeal that healthcare app development can significantly improve. Usually, the diagnostic images like X-Rays or MRI images have to be collected from the testing centre and then carried to the doctor. Today we have apps where these images are directly uploaded. The physical copies can be collected if required. However, digital images like medical records are securely stored in the app and can be accessed when and where required.
Many apps also offer other digital tools when viewing the images. For instance, one can zoom in on the images, compare other results and get a consolidated picture. The app can be a tremendously helpful tool when working with multiple documentation and images.
Health Trackers
With IoT and wearable tech becoming part of our daily life, the focus of many healthcare application developments is naturally on health trackers. From monitoring heart rate, sleep patterns, and even calculating the amount of calories you are burning every day — more and more app developers are now focusing on health trackers that monitor our health in real-time. Many developers are focusing on syncing these apps with hospital records.
