Healthcare truly is a unique business niche. Innovations and conservatism intersect in it like in no other industry. New technology helps save lives, but its adoption often bumps up against fears and concerns both from medical professionals and the general public. That’s understandable, as even the tiniest mistake or a miscalculation may cost someone their health and life.
is, by any means, a new thing. Still, it took several decades for it to have a meaningful effect on the global industry landscape. What kind of effect is it? How and why do mobile applications change healthcare these days? Let’s dive into this topic!
Why do mobile apps have an impact on healthcare?
Smartphones have changed the way people access information forever. Once these multifunctional devices and a stable Internet connection have become generally accessible we’ve gained so much freedom like never before. Here are only a few reasons for mobile applications to increase their influence on the healthcare industry.
1. Large audience
In 2022 two generations have a great influence on the global economy: millennials and Gen Z. Both basically grew up with technology, are not afraid of it, and are willing to actively use all the available technological advancements. At the moment . The number of people, who are not familiar with mobile applications or neglect them willingly is decreasing. Consequently, mobile healthcare apps already have a large global audience and as time goes the number of potential users will grow even bigger.
2. Growing consumers’ demand
People are so used to smartphones that for many of us this device has already become the most treasurable thing, something we can’t function without. Smartphones had us getting used to many conveniences like online shopping, social media, easy ways to pay our bills, and book meetings. Thanks to mobile apps, access to healthcare-related info and the ability to stay in touch with a medical professional 24/7 are now one of those conveniences.
No one ever wants to give up an effective and simple way of doing things for something less comfortable and practical. Quite the opposite! Consumers demand each new app appearing on the market to be even better than all the already existing ones. And there’s no secret that the audience’s interests and expectations are the most powerful force. So new healthcare apps will continue to appear simply because people want them to appear.
3. Problem-solving aspect
The global market of healthcare mobile technology is quite saturated and not all the products presented here are great. There are poorly executed, inconvenient, or not so well-thought-out applications. Yet, they almost never get recognition as they’re not able to handle the severe market competition.
The popular apps, which are oftentimes created for well-known brands, not only are of excellent quality, they bring value as well. Take mobile healthcare CRMs as an example. This type of application is on the rise: medical professionals know how convenient and time-saving a CRM can be. Healthcare software (both desktop and mobile) is sought-after and influential because it offers a solution to an existing problem. And in the healthcare industry, it is particularly important.
How do mobile applications affect the healthcare industry?
Now that you know the reasons why mobile applications have the power to change the face of a whole industry, let’s focus on another aspect — the outcome. What is actually happening with modern healthcare and how do apps influence it.
1. Breaking down the barriers
2022 is an interesting time when an individual may not have constant access to medical help but, most likely, has a smartphone. The popularity growth of telemedicine apps proves that technology can break the barriers that for many seemed impassable.
Mobile apps also provide a wide variety of communication options for doctors and patients: texting, voice chats, or video chats. All of this helps the patient not only to feel more secure and free but also simplifies access to healthcare for disabled people.
2. Increasing overall efficiency by reducing the influence of a human element
One undeniable advantage technology has over human professionals is the lack of a “human element”. Software is unbiased, it doesn’t get tired or angry, and it can’t miss an important detail because it was distracted by something.
Healthcare apps are capable of instant information analysis. For example, EHRs will find the necessary patient record within seconds while a human would need quite some time to complete the same task.
Mobile application adoption slowly but surely leads to an efficiency boost in healthcare. Technology takes care of all the complicated mundane stuff while the doctors have more time to spend helping the ones who need it.
3. Saving the costs
Healthcare apps are available to an individual during every stage of the patient’s care journey: from disease prevention to the actual hospital visit. And that fact helps both the patients and the medical facilities to save costs.
Remote monitoring apps’ introduction reduces the average hospital stay, CRMs lower the workload and cut down the paperwork, and health tracking apps help to whittle down expenses on the ER visits. Basically, it’s a win-win situation both for a healthcare services provider and a patient.
4. Establishing trust-based relations
Visiting the doctor isn’t always easy and comfortable. Getting sick is still stigmatized in so many ways that many people prefer to put off that talk with a doctor for as long as possible. Healthcare mobile apps help to reinforce the trust-based relations between the medical professional and the patient as people are not under so much pressure during online consultations as during actual hospital visits. And what’s more important, using an application can be only the first step! Once the initial contact and trust have been established, the patient will eventually become more comfortable during live medical sessions.
As you can see, healthcare mobile apps are here to stay. Innovative software will continue to improve our lives in so many ways! And healthcare won’t be an exception. That’s for sure!