Developing an App for Online Health Services with High-Quality Video Conferencing

Developing an App for Online Health Services with High-Quality Video Conferencing

In recent years, the world has experienced a COVID-19 pandemic, which has changed how the health care industry functions. A technology-based health care system may be able to improve the health care system as a result of these outbreaks. The development of health services apps has become the industry’s primary objective.

You can, however, find many devices offering on-demand applications in this digital world. The devices already offer everything from online cab reservations to food delivery services. The emergence of online doctor consultation has captured the attention of all health care industries, including doctors, clinics, hospitals, and patients during pandemics.

The demand for online doctor consultation services is likely to continue to grow. Thus, now is the best time to find the best health services app development company and begin investing in telehealth applications.

You must be asking now – how can health services mobile app development help a business be successful?

We will cover the various aspects of telehealth apps here in this blog – how they are developed, what features they offer, and how they are priced.

To understand why the health care industry needs a telehealth app, let us start by understanding why it needs this app.

What is an Online Health Service App?

Healthcare providers and patients benefit from telehealth applications by integrating a digital environment into health care delivery systems. These applications facilitate the ability of patients to consult physicians from anywhere and at anytime. Doctors, in contrast, can treat and assess people for a wide variety of appointments, including consultations and follow-ups.

A telehealth application typically connects a patient with a doctor in three minutes on average. The result is that patients can receive an appointment with a doctor without sitting in a waiting room for hours.

Online Health Service Apps can be of different types, including:

1. Real-time Interaction

Video/audio conferencing can facilitate real time interaction between healthcare providers and patients. Patients and doctors can both see and hear each other through the telehealth app used for real time interactions.

2. Remote Monitoring

As well as management of patients at high risk, telehealth applications can provide health care professionals with access to wearable devices and sensors that can track the patient’s activity and signs remotely.

3. Store-and-forward

Apps that transmit patient medical information, including blood tests, laboratory reports, videos, and imaging studies, can be shared with radiologists, physicians, and other specialists.

What makes Online Health Service App Development so popular?

1. Convenience

Making an appointment in advance, driving to the hospital, and waiting in a long line are not the most convenient ways to get medical assistance. 74% of patients prefer in-person interactions with healthcare providers to telehealth services, according to research by Cisco.

The telehealth app eliminates the need for patients to wait in long lines for specialist visits. You can make an appointment with a doctor via remote connection and schedule a time that works best for both of you. This helps to start the appropriate treatment immediately after the appointment.

2. Medical Record Keeping

Doctors and patients can access patients’ medical records quickly through health services apps. Using it, different doctors can access the previous records of patients quickly, resulting in a solution to the interoperability issue. Therefore, doctors can more effectively treat patients by looking at their medical records in the past.

Also, patients can share their medical records with their loved ones, friends, and physicians. They no longer need to store paper-based medical records or reports in their drawers or lockers.

3. Health Care Specialists and Time Management

Providers of health care can organize their tasks more efficiently with health services apps. With the ability to provide consultations and treat patients from the comfort of their homes or offices, more patients can be treated simultaneously. The use of health services software solutions can make doctors’ lives more manageable.

4. System for the management and monitoring of patients

Health services apps make it easier for patients to update prescriptions, follow-up with specialists and monitor chronic diseases.

Advantages of an Online Health Service App Development

The report states that “the US health services market generated revenue of approximately 11.8 billion US dollars and about 50 percent of US hospitals use health services systems.”

As you can see, telehealth apps will define the future of business success and benefit both patients and health care professionals in the long run. Here are a few benefits of telehealth apps for health care professionals.

For Healthcare Professionals:

  • Easy to consult: The use of telehealth apps allows health care professionals to communicate with their patients at their convenience. Furthermore, they can access the medical records of their patients. This benefit can be leveraged by both patients and health care providers, allowing for a faster exchange of information.
  • Managing records: It is possible to view medical history and records with a single click in a telehealth app designed for patients and doctors. It is also possible to store patient records and medical histories in the app. The data can also be accessed quickly by various professionals to treat the patient effectively. Patients can also share their medical records with their relatives and respective doctors via an app. They can thus monitor their health care activities and make informed decisions.
  • Monitoring remotely: Using wearable devices and IoT-enabled gadgets with the remote monitoring feature, health care professionals can remotely monitor a patient’s health, symptoms, and heart rate using telehealth apps.
  • Cost-Effective:Online doctor consultations are made possible by health services apps, allowing patients to consult with doctors without having to visit the hospital. It is convenient and saves them money.
  • Managing patients: Doctors can use telehealth apps to manage patient details, such as updating prescriptions, following up on consultations, and monitoring their conditions, among other things.
  • Managing time effectively for doctors: It is estimated that 15 percent of health care professionals suffer from depression and burnout. The use of a telehealth app for physicians can help professionals manage their schedules and timings more effectively. In addition, many health services app features, such as push notifications, appointment booking in-app, etc., prevent doctors from missing important updates. Also, health services app development can be integrated with CRMs. Doctors and administrators can both benefit from health services app functionality. Doctors can use the app to request leaves and adjust shift times based on the admin’s analysis of the doctor’s schedule. Administrators can analyze doctors’ schedules and manage their work accordingly.

For Patients:

Choose an expert from several options: An app offering telehealth offers the option of choosing an expert and scheduling online doctor consultations close to your location.

  • Easy Accessibility: Telehealth apps enable people from anywhere to obtain online doctor consultations and communicate with health care providers. Therefore, they will not have to book appointments, drive to hospitals, or wait in long lines anymore. 74 percent of patients believe they would prefer health services apps over in-person consultations with doctors, according to Cisco. Overall, telehealth applications aid patients in getting started with the needed treatment quickly and efficiently.
  • A lower infection risk: Inevitably, we will always find hospitals and clinics full of patients affected by different diseases during this pandemic. When patients visit the hospital, especially those with weak immune systems, they are more likely to become infected. Therefore, a patient can get proper treatment by using an online doctor consultation app at home while avoiding the risk of infection.
  • Complete Satisfaction: Online doctor consultation applications can provide patients with a better treatment experience, which is the most important advantage of using them. Patients can communicate better with their health care provider over the phone or through messaging and clear any doubts. You can also access telehealth applications round-the-clock through many of them.
  • Easy access to EHR:EHRs (Electronic Health Records) are easily accessible to healthcare professionals whenever they need them. Doctors can obtain these records from anywhere, which would save them time. As a result, patients can also be informed about the changes made in the EHR.

How to Develop an Online Health Service App?

Therefore, if you are planning to develop a health services app, the first thing you need to know is who will use it. My telehealth app should ask who will use it – health care workers, patients, or laboratory technicians. Depending on their roles, each module would offer different features.`

Features of an Online Health Service App for Patients

A virtual consultation with a doctor can be conducted online, with features such as video or audio calls, signing up, uploading medical records, etc.

  • Signup: The registration feature allows users to register via email, phone number, Google, or Facebook, and track their profiles. It is also possible to make appointments using the built-in calendar, so all the details do not need to be remembered. To enhance security, you can continue to use two-step authentication.
  • Managing profiles: The user can then create their profile after completing the application. Despite that, it includes their names, age, gender, blood group, and previous medical history. So, any doctor can assess the health conditions of a patient based on their previous medical treatment and history. Healthcare providers and owners should only be able to access EHR information.
  • Real-time Location: Patients will be able to locate nearby hospitals or specialists with real time locations. Patients can also search for and request a physical by hand, depending upon their preferences.
  • Video Call:Development of medicine apps includes a video call feature. We should optimize the real time connection and avoid video buffering due to the variation in Internet connectivity based on a patient’s geolocation. For doctors to be able to see the symptoms, the video quality must be high-resolution. Audio clarity must also be crisp. RTMP (Real-Time Messaging Protocol) and WebRTC (Web Real-Time Communication) are streaming protocols that can be used for building a quality video calling feature.
  • Text Messages: The patient or doctor can always communicate via text message when they do not need to use video calling. This approach often makes communication easier. In case it is not urgent, you can ask in the doctor’s spare time. In addition, you can add attachments to that request.
  • In-built Calendar:By using the built-in calendar, the patient can book and manage doctor appointments. Calendars can be used to reschedule or cancel meetings. Using Google’s API, you can sync that data to the Google calendar. This allows users to see all notifications and details of events.
  • Payment Gateway:Any telehealth app development service should integrate or rely on payment gateways. The choice is yours whether to use a custom payment service or a third-party system to integrate a secure and approved payment gateway. It is important to verify the security protocols before implementing any payment gateway.
  • Notifications:Patients can stay on top of appointments and other activities by getting push notifications. The notifications keep them informed.
  • Reviews or Ratings:The best and most reputable doctors can be identified by reviews and ratings. The app allows patients to leave honest ratings and feedback about the services they receive. By doing so, other users can learn more about the services provided.

Online Health Service App Features for Doctors

There are also various features of the telehealth app for doctors. A few of these are similar to those available to patients. Let us explore them further.

  • Doctor Registration:Doctors must be able to register themselves with email, phone numbers, or social media accounts in this module. There is, however, one thing you should keep in mind – a doctor’s license must be verified before their profile can be created.
  • Profile:Additionally basic information about a professional, such as name, photographs, address, specializations, there ought to be important information about his or her education, experience, credentials, and accomplishments.
  • Calendar Management:The health care provider can manage remote consultants and real time visitors’ appointments through the calendar management system.
  • Manage appointments:Managing and confirming appointments is up to doctors according to their availability. They can also reschedule appointments if necessary.
  • Doctor Panel:An app for health services includes a doctor panel with electronic health records such as prescriptions, patient information, calendars, and appointment scheduling.
  • Digital Prescriptions:Physicians can create a digital prescription for a patient using this module. The app allows patients to get access to medicines as well as other health services, such as tab tests, through this prescription.
  • View EHRs:Patients’ EHRs can also be accessed and browsed by their doctors.
  • Text Messages, Voice, and Video Calls:Patients and doctors have the same features. Therefore, you should choose the securest option for implementing this technology.
  • Session Recording:Ensure that calls can be recorded and analysed to understand the treatment’s objectives. It will therefore help you justify any future conflicts.
  • Push Notifications:Provide doctors with appointment reminders before the session begins. Give a patient an alert when he or she books or modifies an appointment. Depending on their availability, doctors can accept or decline.

Online Health Service App Features for Lab Technicians

Health services application development could also include the laboratory technician dashboard.

  • Profile Management:Laboratory technicians can fill in crucial details like licenses, backgrounds, laboratory names, addresses, and certifications on this site and manage their profiles.
  • View Requests:It enables laboratory technicians to view requests from patients and add them to the calendar according to their appointments.
  • Task Allocation:Laboratory technicians can assign tasks to professionals so they can collect samples from patients based on requests.
  • Report Sharing:Laboratory technicians can use telehealth apps to share laboratory reports with doctors and patients.

What are the key features of the Online Health Service App?

Here are the key health services app features you should consider before beginning the development of the app:

  • Encryption and Security Protocols:The privacy and security of patients’ information can be ensured with health services apps by using secure encryption protocols.
  • Video Conferencing:Doctors and patients can interact face-to-face via high-quality audio and video conferencing on mobile devices and computers.
  • Instant messaging:When patients need clarification, they can exchange text messages with doctors in real time via instant messaging during or after their appointment.
  • Appointment Management:Patients can schedule their appointments using appointment management at their doctors’ offices by selecting an available slot on the calendar.
  • Clinical Documentation:Clinicians can provide patient care while maintaining patient privacy with the use of clinical documentation.
  • HIPAA Compliance:By integrating secure electronic communication of healthcare transactions into health services apps, it can reduce errors associated with HIPAA compliance.

Emerging technologies can influence the development of Online Health Service Apps?

1) Artificial Intelligence

Health services app development companies are likely to develop telehealth apps using Artificial Intelligence. The health service industry is gaining a place for chatbots.

There are times when doctors cannot be available for consultations. Chatbots can provide users with suggestions or answers to their questions. The chatbot can also reserve an appointment for the patient. To summarize, chatbots can simplify the workflow and automate routine tasks.

The following are further ways AI can benefit Online Health Service app development:

  • Recommended treatments
  • Improved care with personalized assistance
  • Enhanced diagnosis

2) Internet of Things

Healthcare is another industry that is booming thanks to IoT, or the Internet of Things. Doctors can keep track of their patients’ medical records using wearable devices and consult them in an emergency if necessary.

Professionals in the health care system can gather a patient’s medical history and adjust treatment accordingly. Patients are not required to participate in setting the medicine time with smart drug dispensers. Whenever it is time to take pills, it will notify the user’s electronic devices.

3) Cloud Storage

Cloud storage technology is a solution to the problem of storing all data in one location. In addition, it is much cheaper than on-premises storage. Also, you do not need to develop a new security system from scratch. The best cloud storage service is Amazon S3.

4) Blockchain

Data can be shared securely and encrypted using a blockchain between health experts and patients. How do you create a secure health services app using blockchain technology? A company that develops health services apps focuses on securing communication through distributed networks.

5) Big Data

Health organizations generate and process millions of data each year. By collecting and monitoring electronic health records, they can utilize big data. Professionals will be able to offer better patient care, do medical research, reduce costs, and produce accurate diagnoses with this real time data.`

6) Deep Learning

Health services apps can analyse huge quantities of medical data using Deep Learning technology. Deep Learning technology can provide accurate health assessments and forecasts for health care professionals.

Conclusion

Health services apps have evolved over the past few years, especially after a pandemic. The development of health services apps and their role in the industry are quite varied, so it is hard to cover them all. In addition, the rising demand for telehealth and health services apps creates numerous opportunities for growth and monetization.

A health services application allows both health care professionals and patients to enhance their services – while patients receive medical treatment at their convenient time, doctors are immediately paid for their services.