Four Advanced Tools to Make Your Healthcare App a Success

There is no question that phone and tablet apps are a fantastic way to advertise your business, connect with customers, tell your unique story, and create an all-around engaging experience for users.

But just like every other feature of your business, apps have to be built right and built well. Not any old app will work for you or your business, and a poorly designed one can hurt your bottom line and harm your reputation.

Apps have quickly gone from being a nice thing for a company to having to become an indispensable component of a company’s online presence. Apps don’t simply allow your customers to access a tidy version of your website on their phones – apps have emerged as a feature in their own right, showcasing the best of your brand and facilitating communication. When properly designed, the best apps will facilitate effective management of communication with clients, augment customer acquisition strategies, and provide new customer touchpoints and selling opportunities.

Let’s look at healthcare apps in more detail and find out the four advanced tools to succeed in your healthcare app.

What Is a Healthcare App?

Healthcare apps are phone and tablet-based applications that offer unique tools and conveniences for users. Available anywhere the user has an internet connection, healthcare apps are part of a movement toward mobile health tools in health care.

There are a wide variety of uses for healthcare apps. Some allow fitness and calorie tracking while providing health and fitness tips and reminders. Others help doctors and other healthcare providers communicate with patients. For example, there are apps for diabetes that automatically send glucose readings to primary care physicians. In addition, a new slate of apps allows patients to store, record, and share personal data with any doctor or healthcare provider of their choosing. 

Still, other apps are aimed not at patients but healthcare providers themselves. These advanced apps can help with various functions, from scheduling to receipt and mileage tracking to diagnosis using symptoms to alerts about possible negative medication interactions.

According to one recent study, the value of mobile health apps reached $8 billion in 2018. It will grow to surpass $111 billion by 2025. Another study found that app use surged 40 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching all-time highs both in the United States and worldwide. The rise in app usage occurs across the healthcare spectrum, from apps that promote relaxation and meditation to apps that offer direct connections to healthcare providers.

New apps appear almost every day to make personal health easier and communicate with physicians and patients. Medical and healthcare apps are here to stay.

What Makes a Good Healthcare App?

While the healthcare field is highly specialized, a good healthcare app will have many features that any highly prized app will have.

Any app popular with consumers should follow a few basic principles. Additionally, the app will serve users well will have a few key features, including:

• Nice design
• A well thought out user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) 
• It opens quickly, does not crash, and does not take up excessive hard drive space
• Is free, or minimal cost
• Has the option for use offline to save data
• Offers the latest in privacy tools
• Promotes a stable, reliable workflow
• Meets and then exceeds the needs of users

An app that will serve businesses well will have a different though similar set of features, including:

• Strong protection against data breaches
• The ability to quickly and painlessly accept payments
• Features that encourage user retention
• The ability to quickly make updates
• Easy maintenance

Four Features You Should Make Sure Your Healthcare App Has

Ready to build your healthcare app or contemplating hiring someone or an agency to develop it for you? Here are the four key features your app should have:

1. Strong UX/UI design features: Your app's user experience and user interface is the first impression it will make on users, so this had better be good. You need an attractive app that is easy to navigate, does not crash, has a theme relevant to your business, and has simple, straightforward navigation.
2. Strong security features: Strong security gives users peace of mind and protects your business from breaches that can erode user confidence and expose you to everything from ransomware attacks to possible HIPAA law violations. Depending on what your application is doing, you may want to employ blockchain technology, which can increase the security of apps and provide patients with an enhanced experience.
3. Support on multiple devices: Your users may hail from around the country or even worldwide. They can be accessing your services on a wide variety of devices and platforms. Make sure your tool works for every user regardless of their device and their location. Ensure your app is compatible with both Android devices and iOS devices.
4. Integration with AI and ML: AI, or artificial intelligence, and ML, or machine learning, are the two most significant emerging trends in computing. For example, healthcare applications increase efficiency, boost speed, improve patient outcomes and engagement, and minimize or eliminate manual interactions. 

Healthcare App Development

Healthcare app development is the process of building an app that can be used on mobile devices with the end goal of helping patients successfully submit and handle health care issues. Healthcare app development can also be used for doctors, who can use the app to monitor patients, schedule appointments, and manage staff. Overall, healthcare app development can support remote access, risk reduction, and cost savings goals. Custom solutions help providers go beyond what has become the standard offering from app developers to include database access, networking, medical record access and management, risk assessment, and medication prescription and dosage.

The right tech partner can help ensure proper healthcare app development that streamlines workflows while connecting with customers and telling your company’s story. App development pros like Digital Authority Partners can build HIPAA-compliant healthcare apps that increase revenue, retain customers, eliminate repetitive tasks, and boost SEO.

For more information on healthcare app development, contact Digital Authority Partners today.