Tech innovations are allowing organizations across the world to grow in various ways. Not only are they changing the business preferences, but they are also serving the global consumers who wish to fulfill their desires at the click of a button.
Technology advancements have altered the face of the health industry at a blinking pace. More and more medical professionals and companies are looking forward to simplifying medical practices and having easy access to medical records, making it easy for decision-making and handling patients during emergencies. This is the reason for the increasing demand for healthcare app development companies.
Mobile apps have started to penetrate our lives in the healthcare industry, thanks largely to the pandemic. Now that more and more people have adopted nutrition, fitness, and healthcare monitoring apps, the healthcare sector is experiencing explosive growth in this area. Several organizations, including hospitals and care centers, medical professionals, insurance companies, and even stakeholders, are looking to healthcare app development to smoothen concerning areas and improve business.
The zest for mobile and wearable devices has brought great exposure to healthcare applications. Additionally, developers are capitalizing on various opportunities in Electronic Medical Records (EMR), Electronic Health Records (EHR), patient management, appointment booking, online consultation, health monitoring, and more.
Here are the top healthcare mobile app development trends for 2024:
1. Wearables and IoT
Healthcare applications with wearable technology and IoT integration have become a trend today. The reason for the popularity is because they prevent health concerns and help maintain your overall health. These healthcare apps can also monitor and track physical activities like exercise.
Applications like these can help patients connect with their doctors directly and instantly. Moreover, wearable gadgets with IoT connectivity can even monitor patients’ health on behalf of their medical caregivers. Thus allowing them to offer assistance anytime, anywhere.
Wearables and IoT provide a massive opportunity for healthcare companies and application developers. According to BusinessWire, the global wearable tech market is expected to touch $118.16 billion by 2028.
2. Remote Patient Management and Monitoring
Perhaps, this is one of the most favorable healthcare trends to be integrated into mobile apps. There are several patients who are unable to return to a medical facility as frequently as they need to because of various reasons. This, in particular, is true for elderly patients or those with chronic diseases.
???? Relevant read: Complete guide to telemedicine app development
In situations like these, remote patient management is a very valuable tool. With this application, patients can keep track of their health data on a daily basis. The medical information is recorded in a database system, which can be monitored and analyzed by the physician.
This application allows you to manage the patient data without any human interaction. Thus, saving space and time, both of which are a premium requirement in a hospital setting. Hence, the RPM app has become a trend in the world of healthcare app development.
3. Telemedicine
One of the most significant healthcare app trends for 2024 is telemedicine. Although the basic tech behind telemedicine has been around for quite some time, the pandemic has given wings to this application and is experiencing a peak that may be long-lasting.
There are many areas in the world where the cellphone network is strong; however, there is poor access to medical facilities. A study says that 33% of the patients in Canada sometimes, rarely, or never get an answer from their doctor. In the U.S., estimates suggest that there will be a requirement for more than 275,000 nurses by 2030. You can fill this service gap with telemedicine by helping patients with immediate medical services. Moreover, it makes healthcare affordable.
Besides telemedicine making healthcare more affordable and convenient for patients, it is also a profitable venture for businesses. According to Fortune Business Insights, it is expected to reach $266.8 billion by 2026.
4. Cloud Computing
The biggest merit of cloud computing is that it offers secure storage, access, and management of a vast amount of data. So, implementing cloud computing in the healthcare industry was a requirement, as maintaining and protecting sensitive patient data is essential.
According to global healthcare, the cloud computing market is expected to reach $89.4 billion by 2027. That is a CAGR of 17.8% from $39.4 billion in 2024.
All patients with access to cloud-based healthcare apps can view, retrieve and save their data safely and use it from anywhere. This would result in doctors and patients taking full advantage of the applications to keep updated on real-time health and treatments. Additionally, these apps encourage patient participation, which is necessary for ideal treatment.
Cloud-based healthcare applications also provide health organizations with easy, quick, and global access to patients’ EMR, billing information, and insurance, including research data.
5. Big Data
It is a mammoth task combining all the hospital records and data related to every patient, including their medical reports and other related bills. Nothing compares to the analytic powers of big data, which is a suitable solution for such problems.
Integrating and implementing big data tech in healthcare applications profoundly impacts the healthcare industry. With big data analysis, you can help in resource management, predictive analysis, and EMR management. All said, with the help of big data analysis, it becomes easier for healthcare companies to provide more patient-focused services.
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6. Artificial Intelligence
When we talk about big data, it is imperative that we discuss artificial intelligence (AI). This technology is set to make a huge splash in the healthcare industry. According to Precedence Research, AI in healthcare is assumed to hit the $187.95 billion mark by 2030 with a CAGR of 37% from 2024.
Developers of healthcare apps are already leveraging AI power to harness large amounts of data inherent to the healthcare industry and draw suitable conclusions from it. You can facilitate and analyze medical images like CT scans, customize treatments, and create new medications with AI.
Additionally, AI can make medical facility workflows more efficient. It helps automate routine paperwork, scheduling, and other activities with the scope for human error. AI also predicts patient inflows and makes staffing corrections.
Having said that, the most apparent use of AI in the healthcare industry is paired with another application – chatbots. With the help of AI, chatbots can become your virtual nurse consultants, make appointments, access information regarding medication, symptoms, and medical tasks, and find nearby clinics.
7. Blockchain and EMR
Blockchain tech manages database chains made of data blocks. Each block hold information about the previous block in the chain. Thanks to its decentralized nature, blockchain is ideal for managing large amounts of data, no matter the business.
In the case of the healthcare industry, implementing blockchain technology could save the industry as much as $100 billion by 2025 alone. The reason is simple. Healthcare application development that utilizes blockchain tech can make better health predictions and diagnoses, significantly lower the number of medical errors in the analysis of electronic medical records, and provide excellent treatment at a sustainable cost.
EMR, in general, benefits the most from blockchain tech implementation. This technology makes patient data decentralized, more secure, and at a lower risk of data fraud. Moreover, blockchain can establish a secure data chain between a doctor and a patient.
8. Augmented and Virtual Reality
Augmented reality (AR) and Virtual reality (VR) are household terms today. These technologies are very popular in gaming, but they have more to offer than just gaming.
AR and VR can be very effective in the healthcare industry, particularly when it comes to helping patients with visual impairments, cancer, depression, and even autism. This technology can help medical students study, demonstrate various patient procedures, and analyze medical scan images. AR and VR are ideal for:
- Interactive training
- Saving time and operation cost
- Providing more customized remedies
- Helping doctors connect and communicate with their patients in a better way
Medi-Tech Insights suggests that AR and VR provide a great opportunity in the healthcare industry, as this industry, valued at $1.5 billion in 2020, is expected to reach $5 billion by 2025.
9. Clinical Solutions
Last but not least, the best healthcare app for both doctors and patients offers holistic clinical solutions. This covers many features, including the ability to schedule appointments, receive answers to common health-based queries, exchange information between doctors and patients, and more.
Additionally, the best healthcare apps offer patients the ability to receive e-prescriptions from their healthcare providers. This saves time and facilitates good communication. Mobile payment systems are another feature that is one of the top trends in mobile app development. Mobile payments offer a smooth transaction experience, even in an emergency, at any time of the day.
A comprehensive approach to healthcare mobile application development, one where patients can get reminders of appointments, pay bills online, and connect with medical personnel, is a top trend in 2024.
The Bottom Line
The healthcare mobile app development services are in the middle of a paradigm shift. Digital health has become a priority, and these apps have become the new normal. Mobile healthcare solutions allow doctors and patients to communicate more effectively and efficiently while achieving better medical outcomes.
If you are considering more mobile healthcare solutions, Skein Technologies can help. We build interactive, scalable healthcare apps based on your requirements.
Contact us today for a free consultation.
Rajamanickam Rajan is the director at Skein Technologies, a leading IT solution company in India. He has 10+ years of experience in developing application using IBM Worklight hybrid, native applications for IOS and Android systems.