Most Important Features Needed When Developing a Healthcare App

Have you ever looked at an average morning runner nowadays?

They are geared like a swat team on a mission. They have earpods, watches to monitor their vitals, and even their phone records these vitals and gives them the instructions needed.

Technology has entered the chat group of health and fitness, and it aims to stay. Everybody who is struck by the realisation that they are living an unhealthy lifestyle takes out their phone and installs a health and fitness app.

So it’s basically an app waiting  in the dark corners of our phones for the enlightenment of healthy life to strike again.

All that aside, the spike in the installation of fitness apps occurred during the pandemic, when going to a hospital was considered dangerous. In fact, during the last week of March 2020, downloads of Health & Fitness apps grew by 67% , and May 2020 saw 48% more sessions than the annual average. Many doctors were able to give medical advice to people from remote locations.

There are over 350,000 mhealthcare apps in major app stores.

Not every health app has what it takes to strive in the market, and it needs to have certain features that can help people honestly. Let’s take a look at what these features are.

Different Types of Healthcare Apps

The wide variety of medical conditions and viruses have paved the way for the changes in the traditional healthcare system. By reducing the response time and reducing the hassle and dangers of visiting the hospital, healthcare apps have efficiently tackled the restrictions and fear of the pandemic.

Let’s look at the different types of healthcare applications we have.

Medical apps can be broadly classified into two categories:

App for healthcare providers

Making a medical app for healthcare providers like hospitals, clinics etc., is a complex process. Each medical institution requires its own app with the proper specifications for them. The unique features make it more challenging for healthcare app developers.

App for patients/users

These medical apps are for the patients and the common users, mainly to help them track their physical health condition and medications. Apps in this genre can be primarily found in our app stores.

Must-have Healthcare App Features

Even with the huge number of health apps currently available to us, only a few of them impressed the users. The app features have played a major role in bagging users. The design and development of apps for healthcare providers is different from apps for the common people.

Health care app features for providers

Patient data collection

The app needs features that collect and store the patients’ data throughout their whole treatment cycle. This way, the doctors can keep an eye on the patient’s progress and treat him accordingly.

Professional network

Like in every profession, doctors may find themselves in situations where they need a more experienced opinion. If the app can provide a network of experienced professionals, they can clear their doubts instantly. Time is of the essence when it comes to saving a life.

Updates

The doctors need to be updated with the developments in the industry and the news of the disease to help the people. The apps should have features that track the changes and updates of the medical industry.

Scheduling Appointments

Keeping track of appointments is an added pressure for doctors, so digitally marking appointments with reminders can be a huge helping hand for the doctors.

Telehealth

With the advancements in technology, it is now possible for doctors to give a detailed diagnosis without visiting the patient. Hospital apps with this feature are helpful for both the patient and the doctors. Doctors can come in video calls or chat with patients and give detailed opinions.

Many healthcare app development companies go the extra mile to add an interface for the doctors to add the details of the patients while giving the diagnosis via a telecall. This EHR (electronic health record) helps save time and increases productivity.

Health care app features for Users

Personalised update

Giving the users data about their blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen levels, etc., on-demand will help them alter their lifestyle and live a healthy life.

Diagnosis

Smartwatches now have this feature to diagnose their user’s health status and call for help if any health issues happen. Along with these smart gadgets, mobile devices can now perform primary diagnoses.

Prescription

Doctors prescribe medication for people, but when you do that through a digital platform, a proper prescription feature has to be made in medical apps so that people don’t misuse it.

Reminders

This feature is particularly useful for busy people who forget to take their medications in time or for older people.

Monitoring patient health

For the people suffering from chronic diseases, this app helps in monitoring them 24/7 and taking necessary actions if things take a turn for the worse.

Nutrition

Every person needs a diet that suits their body and lifestyle, and this personalised feature will be able to provide you with a meal plan based on your health data.

Personal trainers

Keeping a personal trainer for yourself is slightly above the pay scale of an average person, so to solve this problem, app developers have created a personal trainer for everyone in the app. These trainers will be able to help you through your weight loss journey or your bulk-up spree by reminding you of your exercise regimen, diet and so on.

Some common features

Some features are needed for both doctors and patients alike, so healthcare application development is particularly challenging for app developers.

Data security

The data stored is not just about a single person but of a large group of people and medical institutions, so data security features must be flawless as many personal data will be stored and used.

App security is mandatory to keep your app safe. Read the mobile app security checklist to know the security risks and the methods to keep your app risks free.

Geolocation

The location of nearby hospitals will be a huge help for patients in dire need of medical attention. The medical personnel could also use this feature to help their patients who need medical assistance.

Geolocation features have changed the healthcare industry for the better; ambulances can reach their targets much faster, and the response time comes down exponentially, saving many lives.

Payment gateway

We use mobile applications to help us make the process of going to a hospital much easier. Payment is necessary for hospitals and people alike, and the traditional way of paying bills takes time and effort. A smooth payment gateway can reduce all the unnecessary delays and confusion.

Integration of gadgets

Even our watches are now smarter than us, so medical app development should be done in such a way that it works closely with these smart gadgets. This can increase the scope of the mobile application and do more to help the people.

Reviews

User experience reviews are a powerful tool to showcase the credibility and transparency of the medical service provided by an institution. A review and rating feature will make sure that the hospitals take extra care of their customer relations.

Mhealth app ideas

There are a lot of health apps out there; making a mark in the market is hard but not impossible. Here are a few ideas if you are looking to make a Mhealth app.

Medical training app

Virtual reality-based apps that medical professionals can use to train interns. Without endangering a person’s life, surgeons will be able to teach students surgery. Like a training wheel till they are ready to ride for real.

Record keeping

The need for record-keeping apps is skyrocketing; a person’s medical record contains so much data, and an app that can adequately store the data and safeguard it will have demand in the market.

App with AI/ML

Medical apps that incorporate AI into the healthcare app to give personalised opinions will be more in demand.

We know from all the statistics that AI is the future. So, check out our blog to understand how to incorporate AI/ML in your app.

Takeaway

With Covid taking the “New Year, New Me” thing more seriously than us, the need and market for healthcare apps are growing.

A health app helps humanity live a healthier life, and many app development companies are striving toward creating the perfect app.

If you are in search of a great healthcare app look for the above features; without a doubt, you’ll find the perfect one.

Got an awesome mobile health app idea? Get in touch with us!

Our expert web and mobile app developers with vast experience in emerging technologies like AI and IoT will help you create an incredible health app.