The global mobile app market is constantly growing bigger and bigger with each passing year. According to Grand View Research, this market is currently valued at $228.98 billion. Within the next six or seven years, this value will surpass the $500 billion mark. Almost every business sector and industry uses at least one type of mobile app in one way or another, and the healthcare sector is no different.
Like the global mobile app market, the healthcare app market is also growing. Fortune Business Insights suggests that the mHealth apps market is valued at over $38.89 billion as of 2021. In the coming years, this value is expected to cross the $100 billion mark.
The question now is, how exactly are mobile apps used in the healthcare sector? That’s exactly what we’ll walk you through in this article.
#1 Health Monitoring and Management
Mobile apps are absolutely vital in enabling patients to monitor and manage their own health conditions more efficiently. Such apps can track vital signs, including your heart rate, blood pressure, and blood glucose levels. This allows patients to have real-time data about their health status.
With this information, patients are able to make more informed decisions about their lifestyle, medication, and overall well-being. Some apps also provide personalized recommendations and reminders to help their users stay on track with their health goals.
You can also see the impact of technology on nursing practice, especially regarding the usage of mobile apps in healthcare. From remote patient care to accessing patient data through electronic health records (EHR), mobile apps have made the lives of nursing professionals much easier.
According to insights from Baylor University, nurses are now able to triage patients much more quickly through virtual platforms. Thus, time-sensitive cases are now being addressed more quickly. This is being made more accessible and possible for nurses through mobile apps.
#2 Telemedicine and Virtual Consultations
Telemedicine has been around for a while. Recently, it has gained significant momentum thanks to the availability of and accessibility to technological resources like better devices and internet connectivity.
Mobile apps play a vital role in facilitating virtual consultations between patients and healthcare providers. Through video conferencing features and secure messaging systems, patients can consult with doctors remotely, eliminating the need for in-person visits, particularly for non-emergency cases.
Mobile apps also allow healthcare professionals to diagnose and prescribe medication, ensuring that patients receive timely and convenient healthcare services.
#3 Medication Adherence
One of the significant challenges in healthcare is medication non-adherence, which can lead to adverse health outcomes and increased healthcare costs. Mobile apps address this issue by providing reminders and notifications to patients to take their medication at the prescribed times.
Some apps even have features that allow users to track their medication intake and send alerts when it's time to refill prescriptions.
#4 Health Education and Awareness
Mobile apps serve as valuable platforms for health education and awareness. These apps provide users access to a wealth of information on various health topics, empowering them to make informed decisions about their well-being. They can offer articles, videos, and interactive tools to educate users about healthy lifestyles, disease prevention, and management strategies.
Moreover, mobile apps can send push notifications with timely health tips and reminders, keeping users engaged and informed about important health-related matters.
#5 Chronic Disease Management
According to the CDC, chronic diseases cause seven in ten deaths every year. Thus, for the healthcare sector, chronic disease management has become a major necessity, and thankfully, mobile apps can be useful in this regard as well.
Here, the apps are used by individuals with chronic diseases, like diabetes, asthma, and hypertension. They help them monitor their symptoms, track their medications and appointments, and even log their daily activities.
#6 Personalized Health and Fitness
Mobile apps provide users personalized recommendations and fitness plans based on their goals, preferences, and health conditions. These apps can track physical activity, calorie intake, and sleep patterns, offering insights into users' overall health and well-being. Some apps also provide coaching and motivation to encourage users to adopt healthier lifestyles and achieve their fitness goals.
Conclusion
Based on the above discussion, it’s evident how mobile apps are impacting the healthcare sector and how these apps are only becoming more and more capable of taking on bigger healthcare challenges. What remains to be seen now is how far we can go in making the most of this technology and how advanced these apps can get in dealing with and treating our health problems.
