One of the current trends is the widespread use of health apps. These programs are popular among different population categories because they help people manage their medical data faster and effortlessly. Their number is growing, so competition in the sector is high. However, developing and launching a high-quality healthcare product is not an easy task.
Developers face numerous challenges when creating applications. Below, we will list the main ones and analyze the peculiarities of medical software that lead to the complexity of its creation.
Concept and Features of Health Applications
Healthcare apps are modern digital products designed to meet the needs of patients and medical personnel. They are designed to store medical information, contact doctors, analyze health status, etc.
Since health apps have many functions, their development requires time and effort. We can talk a lot about the specifics of creating and testing a product, but it has at least 3 main features that explain the high complexity of its creation. Any medical app has to:
- Store large amounts of information.
- Reliably protect data and meet all quality and safety standards in the area.
- Be competitive and integrate well with each other.
In short, healthcare products are multifunctional programs with a complicated architecture that carry a lot of responsibility.
The Most Common Challenges in Creating Healthcare Products
Each app is unique, so the process of its development can face a huge number of challenges. Here are the 7 most common problems that apply to almost every app.
1. Patient Security and Data Privacy
Healthcare apps store a lot of confidential and private information that needs to be securely protected. Patients want to be sure that their medical data will not be exposed to the public and will not be disclosed or stolen. Achieving high reliability and security is one of the main tasks of developers. They have to create a completely safe application without errors that will be resistant to loads, cyberattacks, etc. In addition, each app must comply with industry standards such as FDA and HL7 and HIPAA compliance manifesto.
2. Lack of a Unified Payment Model
Some medical products are completely free, while others require payment. Some patients are not ready to pay for the service until they know what quality of service they will receive. To solve the problem, developers can resort to a refund model where patients pay for the service but receive a refund if they are not satisfied. They can also create an app that will require payment for only part of the functions. This model is called freemium.
3. Testing and Ongoing Maintenance
Any product requires updates and scalability. Therefore, adding new features and retesting them is a must. Engineers have to monitor how the application works, and developers have to improve it based on feedback from real users. Apps that are maintained promptly are more successful in the market.
4. Big Data Management Capability
Medical applications deal with data that exceeds the capabilities of typical tools. Big data includes patient portals, devices, medical records, etc., and requires special technologies and software for storage, management, and analysis. It also needs to be cleaned on time to ensure that there are no errors in its further processing.
5. Integration between Applications and the Use of APIs
Most healthcare apps are not standardized. Therefore, they may not get along with each other and may not display some of the necessary information. To cope with this challenge, you should involve the best specialists in the area and strive to standardize applications that will be easy to integrate. The use of an application programming interface is another feature that has a positive impact on the competitiveness of applications. However, the implementation of APIs is expensive and often leads to data privacy issues.
6. User Experience
Interface design and app development are other difficulties that most developers face. Since the application can be used by people with different backgrounds, health conditions, and ages, it should be intuitive and understandable for each potential patient. Therefore, developers should take care of color coding, good visibility of buttons, and logical architecture.
7. Compliance with Regulatory Requirements
To release a high-quality and secure healthcare application, you should take care of strict compliance with the requirements and rules. They change frequently, so you may want to contact your legal team for help. Otherwise, non-compliance with regulations can lead to fines, penalties, and damage to the reputation of the business.
If you know the pitfalls of developing healthcare applications, you have a better chance of creating a product that meets the requirements and expectations of users. Take into account common challenges and think about solving them at the planning stage.