A couple of decades ago, if someone said ‘digital wellness’, people would think it meant something futuristic. Healthcare and well-being have dramatically evolved. Alongside it, custom healthcare app development evolved to tackle new patient challenges.
It feels like a moment ago all you had to do was go to your GP on a regular-ish basis, have ibuprofen at home, and maybe some cough pills. In the blink of an eye, GPs started referring to specialized doctors, and the range of prescribed medications skyrocketed. To balance this, holistic approaches have also been on the rise. To manage all that, to feel like you as a person are on top of things, so fundamental to your well-being, people need to have digital solutions. Managing wearables, healthcare records from multiple specialists, and lab results from different hospitals – these are not trivial challenges. Fortunately, they can be effectively solved with custom healthcare app development services. In this post, we’ll discuss these services, their pertinence to patient care, and what it takes to make a high-quality healthcare app.
What is custom healthcare software development?
The wellness industry is huge and amounted to 6.3 trillion US dollars in 2023. Custom healthcare software development is the process of designing and implementing a digital tailor-made solution for one of the wellness industries.
They can be fitness apps, meditation, or other mental health apps. Moreover, they can be wellness traveling or wellness experience apps. Digital wellness may also include apps aimed at tracking medications, refill reminders, and managing doctor’s appointments. They may even extend to remote patient monitoring and managing EHR records.
All in all, custom healthcare app development often has unique requirements, tailors personalized experiences, and can vary greatly in scope. Additionally, they can be stand-alone solutions or integrate with existing systems and embed third-party services. Lastly, with a custom development approach, a business can ensure rigorous compliance with regulations such as HIPAA, GDPR, or PIPEDA.
Why custom healthcare software is the future of patient care
According to Alexander Tyndall, a writer for the Financial Times:
“Late last year, an FT editorial suggested that attractive wellbeing programmes could help employers stand out to prospective hires above and beyond a headline salary…the market has long been primed for corporate wellness packages with a Third Space flavour.”
This suggests that the need for custom healthcare software originates in various fields from personal care to hospital environment to being an HR benefit.
Growing Technology Adoption
In the US study of 2022, it appeared that 43% of Americans preferred telemedicine for a doctor’s visit. Importantly, 70% of the participants opted for a video meeting, while 30% were happy to do just audio-only. Moreover, the study didn’t find any statistically significant differences among people with different backgrounds, income levels, or ethnicity. This indicates no barriers to adoption.
Extending to IoT Devices
To achieve a wider adoption of telemedicine in place of in-person visits, healthcare software needs to be extended to incorporate IoT devices to be able to measure vitals like blood pressure, temperature, heart rate, etc. Those are the basics of a proper physical exam. As such telemedicine becomes heavily supported by patient data coming from IoT devices.
Incorporating Emerging Technologies
Furthermore, custom healthcare app development services for digital wellness often incorporate Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML). Having so much data enables modern healthcare solutions to actively advance preventative medicine.
Integrating Advanced Technologies
Haptics and immersive technologies also push the boundaries on the anxiety front that is provided within advanced custom healthcare app development. A whole range of custom healthcare solutions are aimed at mental health and helping patients overcome or manage anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.
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Overall, custom healthcare software is shifting the fee-for-service model of hospitals into value-based care. The focus is placed on individual patient outcomes and patient satisfaction. In the table below, there are some key trends in the future of patient care with digital wellness.
Table Key Digital Wellness Future Trends in Patient Care
| Digital healthcare trend | Examples | Description |
| Telemedicine/telehealth | Teladoc, MDLIVE | video/audio doctor consultations; e-prescriptions; pre-diagnosis with AI;24/7 access to care |
| Personalization of treatment | Ada Health, IBM Watson Health | AI enables doctors to create highly personalized treatment plans that account for a wide array of data including genomics. |
| Remote patient monitoring | Livongo (by Teladoc), BioIntelliSense | Continuous monitoring of vitals;Notification system for doctors based on changes in vitals;Often includes AI to predict changes;Includes medication reminders and tracks patient’s adherence |
| IoT devices | ECG app on Apple Watch, Medtronic MiniMed | Smart wearables, IoT-connected medical devices like insulin pumps, pacemakers, smart inhalers |
| Immersive technology, haptics | XRHealth, Osso VR | VR-based therapy for PTSD, anxiety, and pain managementSurgery simulation for training |
Key features of a high-quality custom healthcare software
Healthcare software often has to comply with higher levels of standards. This is due to security considerations for patient data. In addition, users of these apps often experience high levels of anxiety or stress and require cleaner architecture and more intuitive UIs than most apps. A professional custom healthcare app development company often prioritizes:
- Intuitive, fast-response interfaces;
- Real-time, seamless interoperability;
- Heightened data security and rigorous compliance;
- Flawless AI-integration;
- Reliable high-quality telemedicine connection;
- Robust continuous IoT connection;
- QA for precision and error-free functioning.