Healthcare Mobile App Development: The Complete Guide for Founders

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The COVID-19 pandemic have led to the digitalization of our lifestyle. Healthcare apps have become very popular as patients take their physical and mental well-being more seriously. As a result, doctors master new technologies for online appointments and consulting. Statista predicts the global mobile health market (mHealth) will be $190 billion by 2025. Considering these numbers, the growing demand for healthcare mobile app development services is inevitable.

This article will explore the current trends and essential matters for businesses to pay attention to while developing mobile medical apps and provide actionable recommendations for both iOS and Android medical app development.

Mobile Health Market Overview

The 2020 pandemic influenced mobile health market trends heavily. Medical institutions’ desire to prevent COVID-19 spread drove the increased demand for mobile healthcare apps. Thus, hospitals and clinics focused on remote communication with patients: online consultations in audio and video format, health monitoring, sharing medical data, and providing electronic prescriptions.

Researches show that the global mHealth market has grown from $65.6 billion in 2021 to $83.7 billion in 2022. The expected increase of $250.5 billion by 2026 will lead to a CAGR of 31.5%.

A few mHealth startups have become a success:

• PatientsLikeMe is the largest integrated community, with 830,000 members sharing knowledge and experiences about 2,900 diseases and providing practical support to each other.
• The KRY app allows you to consult with doctors and therapists worldwide and care for physical and mental health from home. The app supports 25 languages.
• The K-Health app provides 24-hour access to board-certified physicians. It focuses on comprehensive care: primary care, urgent care, mental health, and pediatrics.
• CareZone helps organize medical information, set medication reminders, and manage medication lists.

Today, iOS and Android medical app development is promising and profitable. Healthcare institutions demand advanced medical software development services that increase productivity and provide flexibility. There are several trends worth paying attention to.

iOS and Android Healthcare Application Development Trends

Healthcare Android app development has become increasingly popular in recent years as more and more people rely on their smartphones for various tasks, including managing their health. Android apps offer many benefits for healthcare providers and patients alike. For providers, apps can help streamline workflows, improve patient communication, and provide real-time patient data access. They also allow patients to access health information, schedule appointments, and communicate with healthcare providers.

Telemedicine

Telemedicine apps are great for communication between doctors and patients. The video call helps check out the patient’s condition and develop a treatment plan, as milder diseases do not require a physical visit to the clinic.

The Internet of Things

Integrating mobile apps with wearable devices has become essential to track users’ health. The IoT helps doctors check signals like body temperature, glucose level, heart rate, and blood pressure.

Augmented Reality (AR)

VR/AR tools for training simulations save operational costs and staff time. Also, they provide advanced data analysis and educational materials to scale medical practice worldwide. In this context healthcare mobile application development can provide proficient and custom solutions.

Mobile Payments and Blockchain

Blockchain technologies ensure GDPR and HIPAA compliance and improve in-app data protection. Moreover, paying medical bills online eliminates the possibility of spreading viruses during hospital queues.

Artificial Intelligence

AI technologies analyze large volumes of patient data and perform information consolidation. Mobile health apps development also became a great area of use for chatbots. They are in touch 24/7/365 to answer questions regarding hospital work, doctors’ schedules, and the health sector.

Gamification

Treatment becomes fun and effective if the app has a game element, especially for children. For example, taking medications on time, regular examinations, and scheduled visits to the doctor can be turned into achievements and rewarded with discounts on appointments.

Waiting Room

A waiting room is a digital space where patients undergo verification and wait for their appointment. This meeting app’s feature became widespread during the pandemic in iOS and Android healthcare app development. It helps reduce the incidence of various diseases among patients and healthcare workers.

Interoperability

Interoperability is the ability to get medical information from various sources and to transfer it to other organizations: hospitals, laboratories, pharmacies, and government agencies. The data exchange should be secure and meet no access and implementation restrictions.

Types of Mobile Applications in Medicine

The digital products of mobile health application development can be divided into three types depending on the purpose.

Professional IT Products for the Medical Field

Professional iOS and Android medical apps are made by mobile health app developers for doctors, nurses, interns, and other healthcare professionals to do remote health monitoring and other activities.

• Medical reference books and resources check the symptoms-diagnosis relations, find medication information, and select reliable suppliers.
• Social media for healthcare providers enables communication, networking, and experience sharing with colleagues.
• Remote assistants help doctors analyze information from patients’ medical devices, like glucose levels, heart rate, and blood pressure. Prescription supplements help make correct prescriptions based on patient data and contraindications for certain medications.
• Workflow organizers or record apps collect and store patient information in one place to quickly access case histories, enhancing the treatment process.
• Payment apps are billing, accounting, and transaction processing programs that digitize critical payment acceptance and control.
• Tools for electronic prescriptions allow physicians to select medications based on dosage, accurately write prescriptions, and cancel them if necessary.

Healthcare mobile app development focuses on effective workflow management: from data analysis to patient interaction.

Mobile Healthcare Assistants

Mobile healthcare assistants are healthcare mobile development products designed to assist healthcare professionals. They usually comprise mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets, equipped with specialized software and applications that allow them to perform various healthcare-related tasks.

• Reminder apps notify about future doctor visits, medication intake, and home medkit replenishment.
• Mental health apps help to cope with depression and sleep disturbances by providing breathing exercises or soothing music.
• Sugar control apps integrated with wearable devices display glucose levels, remind about a diet, and provide lists of nutritional recommendations.
• Fitness apps track exercise levels, nutrition, and life activity metrics.
• Medical knowledge bases provide access to up-to-date information about various diseases: symptoms, prevention and treatment measures, and examination methods.
• Medication trackers set reminders, plan medications, keep a calendar, and find available drugs at local pharmacies.
• Dieting programs help choose a dietary regime and maintain healthy eating habits.

Shared Medical Applications

Shared apps are a form of mobile health application development that enhances doctor-patient interaction during online consultations allowing doctors unlimited instant access to medical data. It helps prompt the analysis of mild diseases and prescribing the necessary treatment remotely.

Each type of digital product is designed to address specific healthcare needs and can potentially improve patient outcomes and quality of care. And as the healthcare industry embraces digital transformation, the demand for mobile healthcare apps will grow exponentially in the coming years.

Examples of In-demand Solutions in the Healthcare Market

The modern mHealth market contains a variety of healthcare app development solutions that result in beautiful and successful products. We’ll explore the features of five prominent examples.

MyTherapy: Smart Reminders

The program reminds you to perform medical procedures like taking medications, exercising, and measuring health metrics. Also, it tracks health information and visualizes progress, providing data on spheres that demand your attention.

Teladoc: 24/7 Online Consultations

The app provides 24/7 online consultations with doctors, therapists, and medical experts for various medical issues. The solution focuses on several areas: general medical assistance for non-emergency conditions, primary360, mental health, subspecialty care, and wellness care.

HealthTap: Expert Medical Care

The solution provides an opportunity to ask questions to the registered experts (90,000 specialists in 140 fields) for free. In addition, there is a paid option for individuals and families. The following spheres of service are available:

• Primary/ chronic/ urgent care
• Female/ male/ senior/ children health
• Mental and behavioral health
• Fitness
• Wellness and lifestyle
• Travel medicine
• Sexual health.

Talkspace: Psychological Support

The app provides psychological support, including individual therapy, counseling for couples or teenagers, and psychiatric help with medication prescriptions. First, the patient has to answer a few questions, and within 48 hours, the system selects the relevant specialist to assist via video, audio call, or texting.

Headspace: Meditations for All of Life’s Moments

The app is a space for reflection and mindfulness. It improves psychological and physical health and reduces stress, sleep problems, and negative thoughts. The program includes a variety of meditation techniques, tips, exercises, and sound and visual effects.

If you want to launch your own mHealth project, start by studying the top offers on the market. Market analysis gives you an idea about the app’s required features, especially when considering a global service for online consultations.

Must-Have Healthcare Mobile App Features

Mobile healthcare software development is a rapidly growing field driven by the increasing use of smartphones and tablets in healthcare. A variety of features can be included during healthcare app development, depending on the user’s specific needs.

Login and Registration

There should be at most 3-5 registration steps for speed and ease of application use. After a user creates a personal account, he enters his name, age, phone number, email, and health information (chronic illness, weight, height, social security number).

Appointment Planning

An electronic calendar is a mandatory part of the application for making and tracking appointments. It also sends appointment reminders automatically.

Video and Audio Consulting

Mobile medical application development with a microphone and camera access allows a patient to discuss symptoms, concerns, and treatments with the doctor.

Monitoring User Condition

The custom medical application development can provide monitoring user live activity data such as heart rate, calories, and glucose levels when integrated with fitness trackers.

Support Chatbot

A virtual assistant is a must-have for every healthcare app as a solution to common problems. The medical chatbot can connect a user to a live consultant in case of a specific need.

Push Notifications

The application can generate push notifications about taking medications, making appointments, or getting electronic prescriptions.

Online Payments

Paying for doctor’s services and medications by smartphone is a fast and convenient way most users prefer. So adding payment options like PayPal, Visa, or MasterCard to your healthcare app is beneficial.

File Storage

All patient medical documents are stored safely in one place: doctor records, X-rays, reports, and laboratory results. It is convenient for analyzing health information and developing a treatment plan remotely.

Ratings and Reviews

Digital healthcare products use ratings to build a roster of top talent. Users select a doctor based on previous patients’ reviews. By collecting feedback regularly, medical professionals can improve the quality of services and become in demand.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Developing Android and iOS Healthcare Applications

Make sure your health app development goes right from the first time with this checklist from Glorium Technologies’ leading healthcare app development company experts.

Statista said over 53 thousand medical applications were available on Google Play in 2021. So how can you stand out with your health mobile app development? First, analyze your product according to five criteria:

• Benefit: Identify weaknesses in the mHealth market and common problems users face. Does your application solve them?
• Uniqueness: Compare 5-10 similar applications in terms of interface and functions. What unique features can you develop?
• Competitiveness: Estimate your product’s success probability in a specific category. Identify competitors’ mistakes.
• Customer focus: Categorize your target audience by gender, income, age, and location.
• Technologies: Follow the key trends in the technology and medical segment (AR/VR, AI advancements).

Most applications replicate each other, devaluing their user experience. Instead, innovate ideas and ideals, and provide in-demand solutions for the mHealth market.

Determine the percentage of your target audience that prefers iOS or Android. User statistics push for Android but make sure to consider the popularity of the iPhone as well. A multi-platform approach to creating an IT product is optimal. Consult with your health app development company on which path would be better for you.

The full cycle of healthcare mobile app development from scratch takes time and resources. Releasing a mini-app like MVP might work better for a startup with limited funding, untested ideas, and strict deadlines. After launch, your mobile medical app developers can add improvements based on analyzing bugs, user reviews, and competitor reactions. One of the advantages of MVP is that it helps to attract investment.

Healthcare digital products must serve various user categories and purposes. Keep in mind five UI/UX design rules:

• Home page: A place for all primary data (life activity metrics, goals, or reminders)
• Responsive design: Suitable for screens of different sizes and iOS and Android platforms
• Optimized user path: Streamline for the most frequent actions
• Friendly interface: Be mindful of user challenges, as your app may target people with disabilities or chronic diseases
• Age-group relevant design: Larger fonts and simple layout for older users, creative visualization and abstract shapes for a younger generation.

Walk the user path yourself and assess the ease of navigating your medical application.

You can develop your application using existing APIs and third-party portals. First, depict a prototype of a future application on paper or in a graphics editor. Then, a development partner will help you design the needed interface elements when prototyping your application. Together, you can discuss the features (registration, personal account, and interface of essential user services) your application should have.

Manual and automated tests will validate the underlying functionality mechanisms. Software testers run the following tests of your mobile product:

• Device choice: QA specialists test the application on gadgets popular among the target audience and determine the oldest and newest supported operating systems.
• The guidelines compliance: The Android and iOS manuals describe the interface components, sizes, screen positioning, and other features. The app must follow these requirements.
• Permitted actions: Testers find out when a software product requests any permissions. Then, developers check activities by giving relevant permissions or denying them.
• Response to HTTP requests: Validates the application with different response codes, timeouts, and other changes.
• Update results test: It inspects the app performance after the database update to determine the affected functionality.
• Device functions test: Shows the app performance in particular situations like disconnecting the Internet and changing the date and time.

Your IT product must pass all tests and be healthcare compliant.

Medical data is subject to controls and security measures. US and European legislation includes documents regulating data privacy in digital products. The principal regulations include HIPAA, NIST, GDPR, HiTECH, and PIPEDA, which will be discussed below.

Problem areas should be identified and inspected during testing. Data encryption, two-factor authentication, and strict access control for your healthcare app is the best practice for preventing information leakage into the databases of cybercriminals.

The number of free applications in the Google Play Store and Apple Store exceeds that of paid ones. In August 2021, about 97% of Google Play applications were free. Monetization of android and ios medical app development can be as follows:

• Advertisements: The application contains advertisements for medical device manufacturers or private clinics
• Subscription: Using the application or some parts requires a weekly/month/year subscription
• Additional in-app purchases: The IT product is free, but some features are chargeable
• Sale of drugs and medical equipment: Purchase offers are posted in the app

Plan your in-app revenue and think long-term to add your needed features seamlessly. Your mobile platform investment can pay off if you choose a suitable monetization model.

The launch of the application requires constant maintenance and support at all deployment stages. Users should receive assistance with any problem. Users who contact technical support can offer new ideas for development and highlight mistakes.

Healthcare mobile app development companies often offer long-term partnerships to maintain a digital product. Working with experienced organizations, you entrust the entire product development cycle to IT pros. As part of the support, specialists ensure the smooth operation of the application, fix bugs, launch releases, and collect user feedback. The company also checks the operational status of servers, does back-ups, and updates applications on the platforms.

Essential Points to Consider for Healthcare Mobile Application Development

With any mobile application, you should follow the protocols to ensure everything is done diligently and the end product functions as intended. With healthcare mobile applications, many more crucial points come into play, as health tech is a heavily regulated industry.

mHealth Development: Data Protection

The first thing you need to pay attention to is data protection. Your task is to make optimal storage, transfer, and use conditions for enormous volumes of medical information. Failure to do so leads to the leakage of confidential patient data and financial and reputational problems for the company.

Reliable ways to enhance security:

• End-to-end encryption: cryptographic keys cannot be accessed by third parties
• Multifactor authentication: to log in, you must confirm your identity
• Expiration policy: the user must log in again after a certain period

If you compare developer’s work in the corporate sector with the healthcare, we constantly face limitations due to working with personal patient data. Accordingly, all the software we use (Redmine, GitLab, Jira, Gmail, Amazon Web Services, etc.) must meet a number of data security requirements, including encryption, two-factor authentication, etc. This requires separate HIPAA compliance agreements with the providers of these tools, as they are not HIPAA compliant by default.

Compliance with safety rules is not enough. We must also follow a list of procedures designed to ensure that HIPAA requirements are fully met, such as Breach Policy, Disaster Recovery, Risk Management, Incident Response, and others.

Valerii Bobrovskiy

Developer for Healthcare projects, Glorium Technologies

mHealth App Development: Smooth Data Transmission

Data must transfer between devices, systems, and software solutions without disruption or technical complexity. Therefore, you must correctly configure the API to ensure secure and seamless communication and app integration with various medical systems, platforms, and facility equipment.

mHealth App Development: Regulations

To be a long-term industry player, you must follow legal rules and regulations concerning confidentiality.

Compliances to consider when you are planning mHealth app development:

• HIPAA applies to the processing, storing, and transferring of any PHI in solutions created for the US. The goal is to protect patient data from theft and fraud and to ensure its integrity and availability.
• CCPA, the California state law, aims to inform customers what data the organization collects (name, mailing address, passport number, purchase history, biometrics, geolocation, education). The customer can request the deletion of the collected data.
• GDPR is in force in the EU and applies to companies that collect and process data (cloud storage).
• NIST is cybersecurity standards and technologies for information systems (US). Data that passes through a medical app of companies of all sizes must be securely protected.
• HITECH law was created as an incentive for US healthcare providers to implement EHRs and comply with security standards in general. PHI must be protected from unauthorized tampering, use, and distribution.
• PIPEDA federal law is in force in all Canadian provinces, supplemented by similar provincial laws in Alberta, Quebec, and British Columbia. It deals with using and disclosing personal data as part of business activities and their transfer between provinces and countries.

Ensure your app complies 100% with all regulations and rules for your sustainable mobile medical application development.

Find out about your country or region’s healthcare and data protection laws in advance. Then, make sure your developers are familiar with them and have a successful track record of launching such projects.

Keep in mind that specific knowledge is one of the factors influencing healthcare mobile app development costs.

The Cost of Healthcare Mobile App Development

When choosing an outsourcing IT company, remember that the partner’s location affects the project’s price the most. For instance, the development costs about $130-150 per hour in the US and about $30-50 in Ukraine. The cost of IT specialists’ work will depend on several factors:

• Technologies: Java, Kotlin, PHP, JavaScript, Golang, Swift
• The number of specialists: QA specialists, programmers, and project managers
• Developer qualifications: Junior, Middle, Senior
• Industry experience: Knowledge of all requirements and the ability to comply with them
• The company’s geolocation: India, USA, Ukraine, and other countries
• Product creation approach: Native or cross-platform
• Operating system: Android, iOS, or both
• Project timeline: ASAP or fixed dates
• The complexity of design: Settings, branding, and animation

Applications with complex functionality will cost more than the basic version with standard features.

When choosing a healthcare mobile app development company, consider its approach to pricing:

• Time and materials: Mobile medical app developers approximately estimate the amount of work to be done. It plans each stage (sprint) and regularly contacts the client to discuss details. Such a model allows you to adjust at any stage, ensuring the project is flexible and adaptable.
• Fixed price: The team knows the exact scope of work and the important deadlines to meet. Also, there are precise project requirements at an early stage.
• Dedicated team: Medical app developers can adapt to your needs. You can choose long-term cooperation or temporarily expand your staff. All conditions, including cost, are agreed upon individually.

Partnering with dedicated specialists for a large-scale, complex project makes sense. In this way, you will compensate for the lack of skills in your in-house team and get access to expert skills and modern technology. The cost will depend on the factors described above.

This is interesting: Read an article about healthcare web development.

Building a Mobile Healthcare Product: Accept the Challenge

Mobile apps improve data collection, reduce operating costs, control payments, and minimize errors. Your patients receive remote assistance, track medication intakes, and make appointments anytime.

If that’s what you are looking for, our company can help you do mobile healthcare app development and launch your best mobile assistant.

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