According to statista.com, the rise in the number of mHealth apps downloaded for doctor-patient engagement during the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide in the year 2020 was 65%.
The world is experiencing lockdown for more than a year, and people are staying in their homes to save their precious lives.
Imagine this situation, when a random young man is living with his elderly parents and at midnight, his grandfather is complaining of slight chest pain. He can’t take his grandfather out as the situation is terrible outside, and he is confused.
This is where mobile applications play an essential role in assisting us. Mobile App Development is undeniably the best innovation of the 21st century.
The increase in mobile users encouraged developers worldwide to build applications that ease users’ routine lives. Every domain that makes the world function has a mobile application, and the healthcare industry also benefited from this innovation.
Such applications developed for the healthcare sector are called mHealth apps (mHealth means Mobile Health).
“Mobile health (mHealth) is the monitoring and sharing of health information via mobile technology – such as wearables and health tracking apps.” – Business Insider.
Some types of mHealth apps include
- Clinical Diagnostic Apps
- Mental Wellbeing Apps
- Pregnancy Care Apps
- Remote Management Apps
- Chronic Illness Apps
Benefits of mHealth Apps for Doctor-Patient Engagement
Building Trust and Confidence
Some hospitals fail to build a connection between doctors and patients, thus resulting in a lack of trust and confidence. Sometimes patients get irritated due to the lack of communication from the other side, and there arises a chance of losing such patients.
MHealth apps can solve these issues as they establish a consistent connection between doctors and their patients. The reports of each patient are assigned to the respective doctors clearly so that they can review them and contact their patients at their own pace of time.
mHealth apps also take the responsibility of maintaining secure communication between doctors and their patients.
Booking Appointments made easy
The traditional way of waiting in a long queue for hours – those days were gone. One of the most significant advantages of using mHealth apps is the requesting and cancellation of appointments. Patients need not worry if their doctor would be available or not as mHealth apps clearly show the work schedule of their respective doctors.
Patients can also cancel or reschedule their appointments according to their convenience, which is also the most remarkable advantage of using these apps.
Personal Connection with Elderly People and Pregnant Women
The period of quarantine has turned out to be a nightmare for older people and pregnant women. But these mHealth apps are most effective for these people. They need not visit their respective doctor every time for regular medical checkups.
They can also ping their doctor whenever they need them. This communication is necessary for older adults during this quarantine as it is also good for their mental health.
Doctors can also set reminders for consultations and medications from various time intervals such as hourly, daily, weekly, and monthly. This would be more helpful for pregnant women as they need the proper care at the right time.
Reducing Errors and thus Preventing Miscommunications
To err is human, and one cannot prevent those spelling mistakes or misunderstandings of the written prescriptions every time. But when they are computerized, those errors can be reduced.
Nowadays, several hospitals provide their medications through computerized medical software. In the same way, through real-time data collection and e-record keeping, these mHealth apps help reduce errors.
Save Time for both the Patients and the Doctors
The record sheets of patients are stored in the profile of the respective patients so that it would be easy for them to view their records at their own pace of time. They are also reminded of their medications at the right time. This helps the patients not disturb their doctors frequently and allows them to take their medicines at the right time without any assistance. This technological development saves time for both the doctors and the patients.
Final Thoughts
Internet users are increasing day by day, and every citizen is using a smartphone. Millions of mobile apps are developed for every domain, and the healthcare sector is no such exception. These mHealth apps are available in app stores for free, and people should use them to their utmost advantage.
