According to research, there are over 350,000 digital health apps available today. This number is expected to grow as more and more healthcare organizations are creating and using healthcare apps to offer excellent healthcare services across borders.
In a nutshell, a healthcare app is defined as an application that offers various health-related services for tablets, smartphones, desktop computers, and other communication devices. Healthcare apps can be classified into different categories, such as health management apps, telemedicine apps, and clinic reference and diagnostic apps.
Using any type of healthcare app brings many benefits to patients, namely:
1. Immediate Access to Care
Traditionally, patients have to visit clinics to set an appointment and have themselves checked by a physician. This process is time-consuming and stressful, especially for individuals who lead hectic lifestyles.
Thanks to healthcare apps, you can now access doctors and healthcare organizations regardless of their location. With telemedicine, you can consult a physician through the app, saving you time and effort from visiting their clinic physically. These apps also enable you to ask questions via chats, calls, or video calls and get answers quickly.
2. Reduced Costs
Getting the unpleasant surprise of receiving an expensive medical bill can trigger stress, especially if you’re not financially prepared for it. This can delay your recovery or even make your condition worse.
Using a healthcare app can significantly reduce healthcare-related costs as it can perform tasks itself, resulting in lesser manual services. Additionally, healthcare apps allow you to see the costs you’ve incurred in real-time. This gives you the opportunity to plan your budget and lessen financial stress.
3. Better Payment Processes
The traditional payment process in the healthcare setup looks like this: you need to wait in line to pay your bills in cash. Aside from being time-consuming, this process is risky as you’ll have to bring cash.
Because of healthcare apps, you now have plenty of options on how you’re going to pay. And the good thing is you can do all of these within a few seconds using your fingers. Do you want to pay for your consultation? Transfer money from your digital wallet to the app, and you’re done within a few seconds!
Healthcare apps also offer other payment-related perks. For instance, if you forget to send payment before a specific date of the month, the app will notify you about it. Healthcare apps also let you choose from different payment plans, so you can choose one that’s apt for your budget.
4. Enhanced Workflow for Healthcare Professionals
Before the healthcare industry fully embraced technology, medical staff used to deal with a lot of paperwork. They have to go through thousands of documents before they can assess a patient and give a proper medical diagnosis.
Now, various types of healthcare apps allow healthcare professionals to store patient records and access them fast. Through medical apps, doctors and nurses can provide immediate recommendations for urgent cases which can help them save someone’s life.
5. Accurate Diagnosis
Better workflow means higher accuracy in the healthcare industry. Because healthcare professionals have access to a healthcare data network through apps, the risk of misdiagnosis is significantly minimized. Healthcare apps enable nurses and doctors to offer the most efficient treatment as they can view the patient’s entire medical history in one platform.
Moreover, healthcare apps offer machine learning that provides many advantages to the healthcare industry. For one, machine learning for medical diagnosis functions as additional support to the doctor’s expressed point of view and helps them avoid making mistakes.
6. Track Health State
Regularly visiting a doctor to track your health state is inconvenient as it requires your time, effort, and money. Over time, this can be discouraging to the point where you’ll put your health on hold.
Most healthcare apps today allow you to track your health state and access information about the results of your analysis in real time. With these features, you don’t have to see your doctor every time you need information about your health.
7. Convenience
The biggest reason why healthcare professionals and organizations invest in an app is to put the patients first — and they’re able to achieve this goal with a healthcare app. Today, healthcare apps ensure patients’ convenience in a number of ways.
With healthcare apps, you can find specialists in and outside of your city within minutes, schedule an appointment fast, and view health reports anytime, anywhere. These apps also let you compare prices for different services and medicines.
Use Healthcare Apps Today
From the points mentioned above, it’s easy to see why healthcare apps are a godsend for patients worldwide. It has features that make it easier for patients to take care of their health.
Enjoy all of the features mentioned here by using a healthcare app. Ask your doctor for recommendations and see why the number of people using healthcare apps is rapidly growing!
