Telemedicine is the trend of the decade. In 2019, the global telemedicine industry was valued at $41.4 billion and was expected to rise at a CAGR of 15.1% over the next five years. And with COVID-19 disrupting human life, telemedicine has never been in more demand.
Page Contents
- What is a telemedicine mobile application?
- The Technology Used in a Telemedicine Application
- How does a Telemedicine App Work?
- Features of telemedicine application
- Benefits of telemedicine application
- Cost of telemedicine app development
- Telemedicine trends for 2020 and beyond
- Esferasoft for telemedicine app development
- Clinic app: Esferasoft telemedicine app case study
- Why choose Esferasoft for telemedicine app development?
So, are you a doctor, clinician, or healthcare provider who’s struggling with cumbersome clinical processes? A telemedicine app could be the solution you’re looking for. Keep on reading to know more.
What is a telemedicine mobile application?
Telemedicine or telehealth refers to the distribution of health-related services via the internet. It enables the medical provider and patient to contact each other without being physically present in front of each other. A telemedicine application provides a platform to leverage telemedicine technology. It allows patients to receive medical treatment in the comfort of their homes. On the other hand, medical specialists can provide treatment and get paid without sitting for long hours in clinics and waiting for patients.
The Technology Used in a Telemedicine Application
Telemedicine applications can vary depending upon their features and functionality. A clinician can use a telemedicine application and share it with the patients to provide them treatment over the internet. Or, a digital transformation solution for healthcare can be used to create an integrated ecosystem, where all doctors and patients can register. The technology used in a telemedicine app also depends on the functionality. It can be a simple application that connects patients with doctors. Contrarily, it can also be a robust platform that stores patient data, treatment history, and other information. That being said, most telemedicine applications are based on the following technologies.
- Big Data: Healthcare is a data-driven industry. Healthcare providers need to store, process, and analyze copious amounts of big data computations to evaluate patients’ healthcare records. Telemedicine apps use Big Data to provide accurate diagnoses and improve treatments.
- Artificial Intelligence: AI is one of the biggest technology trends nowadays, and it is widely used in the healthcare IT industry. Telemedicine apps use AI-based language processing, chatbots, and voice recognition to provide a personalized experience to the patients. These apps also use Machine Learning to help doctors make faster and more accurate decisions about a patient’s treatment.
- IoT: Telemedicine applications are often connected to other electronic devices, like tablets, medical kiosks, and digital cameras. IoT technology allows these apps to interact with multiple devices and facilitate diagnosis, treatment suggestions, medication adherence, and more. IoT enables the integration of medical hardware and software, thereby improving overall patient care.
- Blockchain: Healthcare organizations deal with sensitive patient information. Telemedicine apps use Blockchain to store and exchange medical data quickly and securely.
How does a Telemedicine App Work?
Here’s a step-by-step process of how a patient can use a telemedicine application to access best-quality healthcare.
- Answer a few questions regarding the symptoms.
- Provide any medical reports or information related to past treatments
- Choose a doctor
- Book appointment at a convenient time
- Receive an e-visit confirmation
- Start the e-visit with the chosen doctor
- Show symptoms and discuss medical history
- Get an e-prescription
- Follow the treatment and get better
Features of telemedicine application
A full-fledged telemedicine app consists of robust features for both doctors and patients. Let’s take a look at both sides of the features in brief.
For doctors:
Accounts: Doctors can register and log in with their phone number or email ID. Most apps contain an in-app verification system that verifies the doctor’s license before creating an account. A doctor profile contains all the essential information about the doctor, such as their qualification, experience, expertise, etc. Scheduling: Telemedicine apps allow doctors to mark their available hours and make it visible to their patients. It would let patients check when a doctor is available for appointments and consultation. Communication: A typical telemedicine application offers text and video chat functionality. These features allow doctors and patients to interact with each other effectively. Patient records: A doctor can check the patients’ health records before the consultation to provide better treatment.
Features for patients:
Registration: Similar to doctors, patients can also create their profiles on the telemedicine platform. They can add their medical history to the profile, such as existing health conditions, ongoing treatments, and past history. Doctor profiles: Patients will be able to access doctor profiles, their qualification, and appointment times to book appointments. They’ll also be able to see ratings and reviews of each doctor. Search: A telemedicine app provides patients with search functionality. They can search for specialists such as Neurologists, Gastroenterologists, etc. as per their requirements. Appointments: Patients can go to the doctors’ profile and book appointments in one click. In addition, users can also modify or cancel their appointments. Seamless payments: Telemedicine apps feature multiple payment gateways. Patients can make payments through various payment channels, like Stripe, PayPal, etc. Communication: Patients can communicate with doctors via in-app calling and text messaging features.
Benefits of telemedicine application
A telemedicine application can be beneficial for both doctors and patients. Let’s take a look at the individual advantages of using a telemedicine application.
For doctors:
Being a doctor is not easy – emails, patient records, scheduled appointments, and the list goes on. A telemedicine app provides answers to many of these questions. Let’s see how a telemedicine app can help medical providers improve their practice efficiency. Improved patient satisfaction: We live in the digital age, where your potential patients will look you up online before making an appointment. A telemedicine app provides an online platform for prospective patients. They can look at your ratings, make appointments online, and if required, they can also consult you online. Thus, they won’t need to spend hours waiting for their turn in your clinic, which will dramatically improve their satisfaction and experience. Store medical records: One of the major causes of low productivity in clinics is the inefficient management of patients’ health records. Telemedicine apps provide an intelligent database to store and organize patient information. Therefore, when patients show up again, the doctor will already be aware of their past treatments. Increased efficiency: Telemedicine apps allow clinical staff to quickly store and extract patient records without juggling heaps of paperwork. Similarly, staff members don’t need to maintain papers for scheduling appointments. This helps the staff focus on more productive tasks, which increases the overall efficiency of the clinic. Increased revenue: With telemedicine apps, doctors can attract new patients from across the globe. They can bill patients for virtual visits that are quicker than traditional visits. This way, doctors will be able to attend more patients in less time, thereby increasing their revenue.
For patients:
No transportation costs: Patients don’t need to travel anymore. They can get in touch with a doctor and get medical advice at the comfort of their home. No need to take time off work: People can now virtually visit doctors and specialists without taking time off work. They can schedule an appointment during lunch hours and stay on top of their health without compromising on work. Enhanced access to specialists: People who live in rural areas don’t have access to specialized healthcare services. They need to travel long hours to see a specialist. A telemedicine app solves this problem. Now, patients can consult the best specialists from across the world without commuting to other areas. No readmission required: Patients suffering from chronic illness need to visit a doctor on a frequent basis. With a telehealth app, patients can stay in regular touch with their doctors without getting readmitted again and again.
Hire Telemedicine App Development in 2022
Cost of telemedicine app development
The cost of developing a telemedicine app is variable and can depend on several factors. Some of these factors include:
- Features required
- Technology used
- Hourly/Per-project rate of the developer
As discussed, a telemedicine app can be so simple that it allows only appointment bookings. On the other hand, it can be so complex that it creates an ecosystem of doctors and patients. The cost of developing a telemedicine software can depend greatly on the type of features and functionality you’re seeking. The same goes for technology. A typical telemedicine app development requires servers, programming languages, frameworks, databases, and more. And nowadays, emerging technologies like Big Data and AI are also becoming an integral part of healthcare IT. So, the more technological capabilities you want in your app, the more it will cost. The last and the biggest factor that can affect the cost of development is the rate of the developers. The cost of development varies drastically in different countries. In the U.S., mobile app developers charge $20-200 per hour. For the same quality, developers in India and Indonesia charge $10-100 per hour. So, the project that will cost around $30,000-50,000 in South and Southeast Asia can cost over $100,000 in the U.S. and Europe. On average, you can expect the development cost of a telemedicine app between $30,000 and $60,000.
Telemedicine trends for 2020 and beyond
Telemedicine is here to stay and grow. While the concept of telehealth is already changing the lives of various doctors and patients, the industry is set for further developments. Here are a few future trends in the telemedicine software industry to look for.
Increased insurance coverage
With telemedicine becoming more prevalent, insurance companies are stepping up to cover tele-healthcare. And with the number of telemedicine providers increasing, it won’t come as a surprise if more insurance providers start covering telehealth.
Telehealth adoption is on the rise
More patients and doctors are using telemedicine apps, and this trend is expected to continue. More than 70% of patients across the world say they use telemedicine apps. This increasing adoption is encouraging healthcare providers to invest in telehealth technology.
Increased use of emerging technology
While technologies like AI and IoT are coming to the mainstream, most telemedicine apps still rely on traditional technology. But this trend is anticipated to change in this decade as modern-day telemedicine apps are powered by technologies like AI, Big Data, and IoT.
The COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 outbreak has given a major boost to the telemedicine industry. Patients are now hesitant to go to crowded clinics and are relying on telemedicine for their healthcare. And COVID-19 is here to stay, so more and more patients could be seen using telemedicine apps.
Esferasoft for telemedicine app development
Esferasoft develops a custom telemedicine application for you that allows you to treat your patients online wherever and whenever you want. Patients don’t want to visit clinics anymore, as 74% of them agree they would use a telemedicine app over going to a clinic. But if you have never used telemedicine before, the thought of developing a telemedicine app can be daunting. Here’s where Esfersoft comes into play. We hold significant experience in providing telehealth software administration solutions to healthcare providers from across the world. Our team of expert developers helps you set up your own medical service platform and start attending your patients remotely.
Clinic app: Esferasoft telemedicine app case study
Esferasoft discovered an often-overlooked challenge most doctors and patients were facing. Patients wanted to consult specialist medical providers, but most of them did not have good-quality healthcare services in their area. Similarly, the doctors also wanted to expand their reach and attend more patients who were not able to come to their clinic. We worked closely with a team of expert doctors to come up with the solution, Clinic App. It embodies the following features.
- Socket.IO integration for in-app communication
- Firebase integration for real-time appointments and scheduling
- RestAPI integration for push notifications
- Geolocation API integration for real-time location
The result: Clinic App turned out to be an immediate success. It is a successful telemedicine solution used by specialist doctors and patients from across the globe. The app provides an intuitive platform that allows doctors to address patients remotely without spending any extra time and effort.
Why choose Esferasoft for telemedicine app development?
Esferasoft offers custom telemedicine development services that turn your dream telemedicine startup idea into a reality. We understand your requirements and develop a solution that yields efficiency, flexibility to your business. Our telemedicine software helps you improve customer satisfaction and generate more revenue. Some of the benefits of our telemedicine app include:
- View your staff profile
- Ask questions
- Book appointments
- Access PHR and health data
- Consult via video
- Provide e-prescriptions
So, are you looking forward to scaling your healthcare business? Get in touch with Esferasoft for a free quote.
