Telemedicine app development is a promising area today, as the healthcare system needs innovative solutions.
A telemedicine program is currently present in almost half of all U.S hospitals. Such solutions offer a lot of benefits, allowing medical facilities to streamline operations, reduce costs and doctors workload, and improve healthcare services.
According to a report by Statista, the telemedicine market size will reach $41.2 billion by 2020.
Why invest in telemedicine app development today
If you have any doubts regarding the financial gains, statistics will dispel any of your doubts. Here are a few points that you should know about the market of telemedicine software platforms.
- In 2014, the global telemedicine technologies market, including telemedicine software, hardware, and services was valued at $17.8 billion
- Around 74% of the U.S. patients would use telehealth services
- 74% of millennials prefer telehealth visits to in-person doctor exams
- Telemedicine can reduce the cost of doctor visits by 10–15%
- Over the five years prior to 2019, telemedicine had grown by 44%
The outbreak of COVID-19 surged the popularity of telemedicine solutions significantly.
According to research by McKinsey, consumer adoption of telehealth services has jumped to 49% in 2020 from 11% in 2019.
Main types of telemedicine apps
If you decide to make a telemedicine app, you will have to choose between three types of telemedicine software. The choice should fully depend on the specialization of your clinic and the services that you want to provide through your telemedicine application.
- Interactive telemedicine app — Applications of this type allow for phone and video calls between patients and doctors for remote doctor consultations.
- IoT telemedicine software — Integrated with telehealth apps, such devices are used for remote patient monitoring. For example, smart devices can measure heart rate, blood pressure, level of sugar, etc.
- Store-and-forward telemedicine apps — Patients can record some data on a photo or video and sent it to a doctor for examination. For example, patients can take photos of the results of medical examinations or even take a photo of their wounds, etc.
Telemedicine App Development Benefits
Trying to find out how to start a telehealth business, you are probably wondering about the benefits of building your own telemedicine app. Let’s investigate which benefits telemedicine app development can bring to both patients and medical businesses.
1. Unlimited access to medical services — The main benefit of telemedicine software is access to healthcare services from any location in the world. With a telemedicine app, anyone can get access to doctors regardless of the physical location.
2. Reduced cost — Telemedicine software brings along another important benefit: cost saving. As patients get medical assistance remotely and without personal hospital visits, you can save money on the rent and run of working space.
3. Time-efficient medical care — With telemedicine applications for healthcare, it is possible to get a consultation without leaving your home or in the middle of your lunch break.
4. Progressive EHR — Telemedicine software can be used for electronic healthcare records management. Medical staff can access data without the need to find paper records.
5. Patient management and monitoring — With telemedicine applications, it’s possible to organize efficient management of patients, control of consultations, prescriptions, and so on.
6. Time management for doctors — With super busy schedules, doctors can be overwhelmed by the number of patients. Telemedicine app development can help address the problem by allowing the administrative staff to control the workload of doctors.
7. Streamlining administrative tasks — Telemedicine solutions can be used for the efficient administration of medical establishments. Without a need to fill out forms and documentation, doctors can spend more time working directly with patients.
The list above clearly demonstrates the benefits of telemedicine app development for patients and doctors. Thus, investment if such a solution is a profitable affair for any medical institution.
How to build telemedicine software
The process of telemedicine app development is divided into 7 main steps. Each stem has its own substages with specialists responsible for each.
1. Analysis and planning
2. Project requirements
3. Prototyping and design
4. Development
5. Testing and QA
6. Deployment
7. Ongoing development and support
Telemedicine app development project: challenges & considerations
Telemedicine products are subjected to different data protection regulations and local requirements. There are a lot of challenges and pitfalls that you should be aware of before you start the telemedicine app development.
Let’s investigate the main possible problems and identify the best solutions.
- Security — Telemedicine applications deal with personal and confidential information. As a result, such applications should take care of the security and protection of the stored and processed healthcare records.
- Local legislations — Regulatory standards make telehealth a very challenging sphere. In the USA, all mobile applications that deal that patient information must be HIPAA compliant.
- Technical infrastructure — Before you integrate something into your telemedicine software, study their documentation to ensure their compliance with regulations.
- Lack of trust — To ensure patients that they can entrust their health into the hands of your doctors, you need to provide the guarantee of their professionalism, social evidence in the forms of reviews, etc.
- Hiring a reliable telemedicine app development company — There are a few possible options that you can choose: hire an in-house development team, hire freelancers, or find an app development outsourcing company with the needed specialization.
Learn more about Telemedicine App Development.
