In the past three years, we have seen the high adoption rates for healthcare mobile apps in the US. The simple fact that these mobile technologies are trying to bridge the gap between patients and healthcare providers is enough to convince people that they are worth a try.
And amidst the security concerns, it is undeniable that healthcare mobile applications are positively impacting medical practitioners' productivity and efficiency, while also solving some of the major issues that patients encounter such as the wait time for getting diagnosis, the bills and exhausted care practitioners who can’t keep up with the number of patients they need to diagnose and treat.
Healthcare apps are also well-received by people because they have the ability to help administrative officers, nurses, and clinical care teams in monitoring patients and accessing their medical data real time. At the moment, the mobile health market is dynamic and promising, and as entrepreneurs, you can try to exploit this market as soon as possible.
But, how can you, as a developer or entrepreneur, build a successful mHealth app? Here are some of the most important things you should know:
1. You have to have a genuine desire to expedite tried and true medical practice.
Practitioners don't have time to figure things out and hold your hand as you build the app for them. Sure, they can provide a clear picture of what they want to achieve and what can truly help them do their jobs faster and more efficiently, but their end of the bargain often stops there. If you don’t have the desire to help them solve the pain points of users (who are technically their patients), you are unlikely to build a successful app no matter how hard you try.
You have to put yourself in the shoes of patients and practitioners, by thinking ahead and having a passion for changing the face of healthcare with the help of apps. Ask yourself valid questions such as:
- Who will be the primary users of this app?
- Will this app help patients and serve its real purpose?
- Is this app straightforward enough for practitioners who don’t have the time to press all buttons to know what they do?
- Will patients immediately get the care and attention that they need through this app?
- What pain points will this app solve both for users (or patients) and healthcare providers?
- Will this app provide accurate data that will lessen practitioners’ time in making sense of patients’ conditions and health progress?
- Is it going to just replicate the purpose of other apps? If so, how can I ensure that the app I’m trying to introduce will not lead to technology burnout on the doctors’ side?
- Is it not going to be too much to handle for aging or disabled users?
There are a lot of questions you could ask depending on what type of eHealth app you’re trying to build. But, you will always have to jot down to what issues the app will solve and how efficient it is in doing so.
Building healthcare apps is a lot different from any other kind of apps where the main drivers for development are profit and user gratification. Patients and practitioners will most likely want to use apps that are built consciously, those that save them time and those that are obviously made thinking how well and how fast users can ask for treatment while also allowing practitioners to have a clear view of patients’ medical information so they can provide the right diagnosis and medication.
2. You have to be determined to make the app HIPAA compliant
Healthcare mobile apps are subject to strict rules and regulations set forth by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). According to the Digital Guardian, HIPAA sets the standard for sensitive patient data protection, and under this act, any individual or company that provides treatment, payment, and operations in healthcare is required to comply because they are dealing with protected health information (PHI).
Not only that, but there is also other legislation that mandates FDA approval for some healthcare apps. So, the best thing to do is to seek legal advice if you’re unsure and go over the provisions of this legislation and Act.
Most practitioners will be abandoning the thought of creating innovative apps because they don’t have time to deal with legal restrictions. If you know the compliance metrics for the app you need to build, you’ll be able to alleviate practitioners’ pain of having to deal with the legal restrictions themselves.
3. Be bold enough to get rid of the barriers
Unlike other kinds of apps that need to be visually-appealing or packed with features, healthcare apps need to be simple and easy to use. Depending on the audience or the user demographic you are targeting, decide on how big the font is, what color to use, and which features are essential versus those that will only confuse users.
For instance, if your healthcare app aims to mobilize blind and partially blind users, why would you use a font that is too hard or too little for them to read?
Getting rid of unnecessary elements will also help you focus on delivering the functionalities that your app is designed for. It goes without saying - simpler the user experience and user interface are, the more efficient your app will be. The rule of the thumb is to ensure that practitioners can describe what your app can do within five minutes. If they cannot do that, then there are a lot of things you need to work on to make your app more efficient and save users’ time.
4. Be empathetic.
Being empathetic means you truly care about the people who will use your app. You feel their pain as if you’re suffering with them and you genuinely want to get their feedback so you can integrate the functions that will make their life easier.
The empathetic strategy actually builds your clients’ trust and will push them to really lend a hand because they feel that you have a genuine care for people’s health and you’re prepared to do whatever it takes for the app to be successful.
5. Think about sustainability.
The truth is, practitioners dread new technologies because they don’t want to reinvent the wheel or change the way they work. They want to be more efficient, but in a way, they wouldn’t want to risk losing time just to adapt and learn the functionalities of a new app. With this in mind, you can then find solutions that are sustainable and will save them a great deal of time, efforts, and money in the long run. The investment required to build a new app is huge and the sustainability of the app will often become a factor for practitioners and mHealth providers to decide whether it is worth making or not.
To be able to ensure the sustainability of the app, you have to immerse yourself within the existing digital environment of the arena or workplace where the app will be used. Observe how the app makes things better and how it helps people do their jobs faster and more efficiently. If you see functionalities that they may need in the future, be proactive enough to raise that with the clients. They’d appreciate it rather than having to integrate that function after a few years, which could mean more investment on their part.
6. Know the security and privacy legislation that protect users.
There’s no denying that the security and privacy legislation hampers developers’ efficiency in one way or another. But, despite the additional burden these laws put on developers’ shoulders, they are there to ensure that patients’ lives are protected. Before introducing new technology to their patients, practitioners need to ensure that their patients’ information is protected and respected.
Create a robust quality assurance process and conduct tests for data protection and system security for healthcare applications. This is a critical step in building regulation-approved mobile solutions.
7. Start now.
There’s no better time to start developing mobile health solutions than now. If you’re determined to build apps that have the capacity to mend the rift between business and technology and bridge the gap between patients and healthcare practitioners, you have to get started now. Physicians are more open to adopting new technologies that will allow them to assess the needs of their patients on a deeper level and healthcare providers are willing to create individualized healthcare plans to cater to those needs.
Developing a successful mHealth app isn’t easy, but with the right motivation and passion to change people’s lives, there surely won’t be insurmountable roadblocks.
