Medical App Development

Top 8 Medical Applications Bringing a Revolution in Healthcare

Top 8 Medical Applications Bringing a Revolution in Healthcare

mHealth apps are helping with chronic disease management, fitness and lifestyle management, period tracking, sleep tracking, and healthcare for the elderly. Even though there is some scepticism related to the use of healthcare apps, they are helping improve communication between healthcare providers and patients, providing personalised support to patients, and helping healthcare professionals enhance their services.

Introduction 

Healthcare delivery is more than just functionality; it's about tailored, efficient, and impactful care. With the surge in digital health and mobile device access, can we put power in the hands of those receiving treatment? 

Recognising the value of technology, many healthcare entities – from clinics, hospitals and insurance companies to public health organisations and pharmaceutical companies– have harnessed it to take their offerings a step further. 

Embracing the "healthcare anytime, anywhere" approach, health truly can be in the palm of your hand! These providers have developed specialised healthcare mobile apps that curate accurate medical information and offer advanced features that enhance the patient experience. 

Consider the following use cases: 

  • A patient uses an app to find a nearby dermatologist, book an appointment, and provide information about their skin condition. After the appointment, they conveniently pay their dues through the app.
  • A team of doctors working on a complex case share real-time medical images, lab results, and treatment plans for better outcomes.
  • An emergency room physician uses an EHR-enabled, in-house hospital app to quickly access a patient's medical history and previous treatments, helping them make informed decisions in a critical situation.

These highlight how healthcare mobile apps cater to specific needs, improve patient experiences, and facilitate efficient interactions between patients and healthcare providers. This blog lists the most popular eight mobile healthcare applications that change care delivery. 

8 Types of Healthcare Apps that are Changing Care Delivery 

Let's see the most popular mobile health apps that can be used to enhance care delivery.

1. Mobile Apps for Chronic Disease Management 

The rise in chronic diseases can be attributed to two primary factors: the lack of an integrated healthcare system and challenges in adhering to prescribed treatment and medication regimens. A chronic disease management app is highly beneficial in addressing these issues. 

While they cannot change the healthcare system, they offer valuable tools to enhance chronic disease prevention, monitoring, and treatment. 

Chronic Disease Management Formula

Alt text: An image showing the crucial components of a chronic care management software: Healthcare Customer Relationship Management, patient mobile app, and PGHD (Patient-generated health data) equal systematic care and patient engagement. 

Numerous studies have indicated that chronic care management software serves as an effective complement to traditional clinical care. It can

  • Easily track and analyse patients' symptoms, medications, and vital signs.
  • Provide patients comprehensive educational resources and self-care tips, enabling proactive health management.
  • Facilitate direct communication between patients and healthcare providers for timely interventions.
  • Promote adherence to treatment plans by offering reminders, progress tracking, and motivational support.

2. Enhancing Emotional Well-being: The Rise of Mental Health Apps 

In 2022, WHO reported that mental health issues like anxiety and depression had increased worldwide by 25% because of the pandemic. However, the rise in mental healthcare app development has been beneficial in managing mental health issues.

  • These apps can provide guided meditation and relaxation techniques that health administrators can recommend. 
  • Access to internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (ICBT), which has proven effective in combating negative thought patterns, is another benefit of mental healthcare apps.
  • In addition, these healthcare apps enable health administrators to gain insights into patients' mood patterns and emotional states through mood tracking and journaling, which helps tailor interventions and support.
  • They allow health administrators to extend the reach of their services and ensure timely access to specialised care.

Users' choices highlight the many benefits of well-designed mental health software. Certain features, such as customisation, real-time assistance, and inspirational material, are highly valued by users and contribute significantly to the product's success and popularity. Improved user engagement and happiness can also be attributed to other features like tracking, feedback, and a helpful social community.

Users also value features directly addressing their mental health requirements, such as goal setting and privacy protection.

3. Fitness and Wellness Apps for a Healthy Lifestyle 

Fitness and wellness apps motivate people to exercise and lead a healthy lifestyle. 

They help people build customised workout and diet plans per their fitness goals, track calories and nutrition, and keep their overall wellness in check. Some offer features like water-drinking reminders and sleep monitoring. 

When linked with wearable devices like smartwatches, they provide users with invaluable real-time health data and can automatically send SOS signals in critical situations, potentially saving lives.

4. Mobile Apps for Maternal and Child Health

Maternal and child healthcare mobile app development significantly transforms prenatal and post-pregnancy healthcare of women and children, especially for first-time mothers. These apps hold immense value, particularly for individuals in modern nuclear families, where the traditional support system may be limited.

  • Providers oversee prenatal care through a mHealth app by monitoring key indicators, ensuring optimal health for both mother and baby. They provide educational resources to empower expectant mothers with the right knowledge to look after themselves and their babies during pregnancy. 
  • Doctors may even offer valuable parenting tips and tools for monitoring infant growth, allowing parents to make informed decisions about their child's well-being.
  • New mothers can get guidance on breastfeeding practices through tailored support and tracking tools. 
  • A study used a smartphone app to standardize healthcare management for pregnant women while integrating online and offline channels to create a seamless customer experience. Women who used the app had higher pregnancy knowledge, a higher rate of natural childbirth, better compliance with prenatal exams, and higher follow-up rates. 

Following the app's launch, it had a profoundly positive impact, particularly during the most vulnerable phase of pregnancy. After the app's launch, over 60% of pregnant women in the hospital registered, with 2 million+ clicks, and more than 30% used the app for clinic settlements. Fetal heart rate interpretation rates exceeded 20%, significantly improving the diagnosis and treatment process.

5. Mobile Apps for Elderly Care 

Many healthcare practitioners may assume that healthcare mobile applications and disease management solutions do not benefit the elderly much because of their unfamiliarity with such interfaces. 

However, custom medical apps for seniors have several key benefits for their health

  • Medication Help: These apps remind seniors to take their medications on time, making it easier to follow their prescribed medication schedules.
  • Quick Emergency Response: Health professionals can swiftly respond to accidents and emergencies using features like fall detection and emergency alerts, ensuring seniors get help when needed.
  • Brain Training: Some apps offer exercises to improve memory and cognitive function, which can be especially useful for older individuals with memory problems.
  • Social Connections: These apps help seniors connect with others, allowing them to make new friends and receive online support from caregivers. This social interaction can be a lifeline for those dealing with mental health issues or chronic illnesses, reducing loneliness and providing emotional assistance.

As a use case, people who have Alzheimer’s are prone to wandering. Such apps can help monitor movements and real-time locations for safety purposes. 

6. Mobile Apps for Infertility Monitoring 

Fertility tracker mobile apps help women track their menstrual cycles while getting accurate fertility and family planning information. 

Additionally, mHealth apps can help- 

  • Fertility Tracking: The app helps women identify their most fertile times for family planning by tracking their menstrual cycles.
  • Education: It provides comprehensive information and resources on fertility and family planning for informed decisions.
  • Data Insights: Health professionals use the app to monitor fertility indicators and offer insights for pregnancy or contraception choices.
  • Supportive Community: The app offers a safe space for women to discuss fertility challenges, promoting emotional well-being and understanding.

7. Mobile Apps for Period Monitoring

Over 50 million women worldwide use period tracker apps to predict their ovulation and fertility period. Such apps are beneficial for users as well as clinicians. Period monitoring apps are beneficial in tracking and predicting menstrual cycle length. 

These apps also help track the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). An accurate record of the menstrual cycle is beneficial for getting insights into pregnancy, fertility, and menopause. 

In a scoping review, 64% offered features for tracking pain and menstrual symptoms within the pool of menstrual apps. However, a more sophisticated subset of apps (13) allowed users to chart and graph pain symptoms across multiple menstrual cycles, providing deeper insight into their health.

This allows healthcare practitioners to get insights related to the menstrual cycle of their patients. This can be beneficial for diagnosing conditions like endometriosis and polycystic ovaries.

8. Tracking Sleep Cycles: Mobile Apps for Better Rest 

According to a report by Fitbit, India is ranked as the second-most sleep-deprived country in the world after Japan. An average Indian sleeps around 7 hours, less than the recommended 8. 

Studies have shown that healthcare mobile applications greatly reduce sleep disturbances and improve sleep quality. These apps provide a graph to demonstrate and analyse people's sleeping patterns and encourage them to take action to improve their sleep cycle. 

They are equipped with smart alarms for gentle awakening, sleeping aids and relaxation techniques, and sound recording during sleep. Even doctors encourage their patients to use sleep-related healthcare mobile applications. The purpose is to monitor patients with sleep apnea and suggest suitable treatments.

Conclusion 

The global mHealth market size is expected to grow 10.8% annually from 2020-2030. The market size has huge growth potential for mHealth apps. After all, anything that helps patients get the care they need when they need it is a step in the right direction. However, the industry still faces challenges like poor user experience and data security issues, which must be addressed with an acute understanding of the medical sector.

Montar Healthtech focuses on creating healthcare mobile apps tailored to your needs. Our goal is straightforward: integrate smart technology to make healthcare more accessible and budget-friendly. If you're looking for a partner in healthcare app development, contact us today

Key Takeaways

  1. Medical app development has transformed the healthcare industry, benefiting patients and healthcare providers. 
  2. Chronic diseases are rising and causing increasing deaths worldwide. Chronic care management software constantly helps monitor symptoms and provide emergency care.
  3. Healthcare apps encourage users to focus on their fitness and wellness and help them track their workouts, meal plans, and sleeping patterns.
  4. mHealth apps are highly beneficial in tracking period cycles. They help healthcare professionals diagnose ovarian diseases and suggest fertility treatments.
  5. Even though healthcare app use is increasing, there are several challenges, like poor user experience and data security issues, which companies can aim to resolve to provide a better experience.
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Dr. Lakshmi Vaswani
Dr. Lakshmi Vaswani

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