Telehealth Services: A Primary Healthcare Source for Many!

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we witnessed a sudden surge for hospital beds, medication, and more. No wonder the healthcare industry wasn’t initially prepared for the nightmare, which resulted in poor diagnosis, unavailability of medical kits, etc. 

What comes to your mind when we mention the term ‘patient experience?’ 

Most readers would imagine an efficient conversation between a patient and a medical professional! However, the lockdown guidelines imposed by the government restricted everyone from moving outdoors. Thus, only the ones affected by the COVID-19 virus could visit hospitals and get their treatment done. 

What about other patients suffering from one or the other disease? How were they treated? 

In fact, older people are still kept from visiting outdoors since they can be easily infected. So, what’s the solution?

Telehealth apps! 

The pandemic propelled telehealth into the attention, which later became the primary source for patients to acquire a medical diagnosis. 

mHealth app development enabled healthcare professionals to connect with their patients virtually and provide them with quality treatment. However, the mechanism was full of challenges! 

HOW? 

We’ll talk about the same later in this article. So, continue reading!

Why Must You Develop a Telehealth App?

If you need more reasons to develop a telehealth app, we have some for you:

• Reduction in Healthcare Costs 

As mentioned above, telehealth apps offer medical services virtually. Therefore, self-employed doctors wouldn’t have to rent a space and can provide treatment remotely. Additionally, clinics can also benefit from the same since customers no longer have to wait in long queues. 

Telehealth app development can accelerate the overall process, enabling higher income generation for doctors and medical institutions. 

• Easy Access to EHR 

Telehealth software is designed to provide easy access to electronic health records. The app saves all the medical history of a patient under one roof, which saves an ample amount of time that otherwise had to be invested in segregating the same. 

However, an issue that might have to be faced by users is security. Since health-related data is sensitive information, record leaks can create an enormous blunder. 

• Time-Efficient 

To begin with, commuting to the hospital takes time. Additionally, doctors might have to prioritize serious cases, which may delay treatment of normal cases. 

Not anymore!

Fortunately, healthcare app development companies emphasize incorporating features that allow app users to book an appointment online. The time slot can be selected by the user, not leading to any delays in consultation. 

Are There any Downsides to Telehealth Apps?

Sure, telehealth apps are convenient to use and add value to user’s lives; however, it does have a few cons that doctors and users might come across:

• Not every app allows all the processes to be done online. Users might have to go for activities like blood work. 

• Insurance companies are covering the telehealth medical cost; however, numerous services may not be covered, leading to spending money from the patient’s pocket. 

• It becomes the provider’s responsibility to make sure that the user is accurately using the services. 

What can be done to fix these challenges?

Since all the patients might not be fit to access technology and telehealth services, providers must conduct research on getting familiar with the user’s needs and hurdles they might come across. Therefore, working on offering a hassle-free experience is what needs to be done!

What Technologies Should be Leveraged with Telehealth Apps?

A telehealth app can be improved by incorporating technologies to provide an advanced user experience. Therefore, some of these top-notch technologies include:

• Artificial Intelligence 

Chatbots are one of the most promoting AI elements that must be integrated into a healthcare app. Since doctors can not be available 24/7, chatbots can take queries on behalf of human staff.

• IoT

IoT is another exceptional technology that can help doctors keep track of a patient’s condition via wearables, like fitness trackers, stress meters, etc. 

• Blockchain 

Blockchain tech is well-known for secure transactions; thus, it helps doctors and patients to share information in an encrypted form. 

• Big Data 

Healthcare institutions generate data in bulk, which has to be segregated to separate all relevant data. Therefore, big data helps collect and analyze all the data to provide an improved diagnosis, accurate medical research, etc. 

In a Nutshell!

Thousands of hospitals and clinics have undertaken telehealth technology for seamless medical treatment. Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 pandemic has a role to play in the massive transformation from offline to virtual and remote approaches. 

Have you developed an efficient telehealth app for your business?

If not, now is your shot! All you need to do is reach out to a top mobile app development company in India for more insights on your app development idea. 

What’s more? 

The brood of professionals will help you turn your vision into reality by offering you services from scratch to post-development procedures. 

So, what do you think?