12 Key Features to Consider When Building Your Next-gen Telemedicine App

January 31, 2024 10 min read
telemedicine app development

The Pandemic pushed a few buttons in the healthcare industry, unfolding the depths of vulnerability and issues that lay abandoned. The industry stood shaken and uprooted when it could not handle the crisis without calling for certain changes. The niche had to bite the bullet and take some extreme steps that would carve a path for the future.

The industry stakeholders observed the need for telemedicine solutions that can help rebuild the industry. It will help access healthcare with ease and give the industry a chance to move into remote locations. Mobile app development and digital transformation are two rising pillars of this industry.

The stress that doctors face, the unlimited woes of the patients, and the logging of data will find a smooth way with the help of telemedicine.

However, there are multiple facets to telemedicine. If you are planning telemedicine app development, you need to first understand the different categories. When you know the industry, you can develop an apt solution.

The Three Categories of Telemedicine

Let’s look at the difference between telehealth and telemedicine app development.

Telehealth refers to clinical and non-clinical remote healthcare services, while telemedicine refers to remote clinical healthcare services. For example, healthcare education is part of telehealth services, but that is not telemedicine.

You now know the difference between two seemingly close yet, different parts of healthcare. Let’s understand the three categories of telemedicine.

Categories of Telemedicine

  • Teleconsultation: This is the most oft sought medical practice. In this, the patients consult with the doctors over phone calls or video apps.
  • Telemonitoring: The doctor receives the health-related data connected to a biosensor on their phone. It will help them with decision-making related to the patient's health and check on the medicines that can improve the condition.
  • Telementoring: In this case, a doctor will consult another doctor (a specialist in the field) about possibilities and healthcare opportunities. 

Hire Mobile App Developers in India - $22 per Hour - $2500 per Month

A Glimpse into the Telemedicine App Market

Telemedicine is a $459.8 billion market. There has been significant growth from 2019 since the shift that occurred during the Pandemic. In 2019 the market size was a mere $50 billion (Statista).

There has been tremendous growth in the telemedicine app market as well. Newer apps have hit the market, and their downloads seem to be going up.

The telemedicine app is a way to streamline appointments, improve collaboration between patients & doctors, and improve healthcare record management. With in-app messaging and an in-built chat platform, the app can improve communication and remove the vulnerabilities that exist in accessing healthcare.

The Problems a Telemedicine App Solves

  • Enabling better monitoring facilities, thus ensuring quick and instant healthcare to the patients
  • Allows the elderly to access healthcare while sitting at home. They can send their reports and get the tests done at home. This ensures swift and real-time healthcare
  • The apps allow the services to be more personalized and suited to the patient’s needs
  • The long queues can hurt the patients and frustrate them. This telemedicine app can remove the need to wait for a doctor’s appointment

Check out our telemedicine app solution that helped the client increase patient retention and reduce wait time.

Why Do You Need Telemedicine Apps?

Doctors and patients benefit from telemedicine apps in various ways. Let’s take a look at the individual benefits.

Why You Need Telemedicine Apps

The Top Benefits for Doctors

1. Patient Data in One Place

Most doctors get frustrated when they have to keep looking for data that can help make sense of the patient’s condition. The paperwork is everywhere. It is especially true when you need to find the past prescriptions and know what the patient was given.

If the patient repeats their visit after a prolonged period, this becomes all the more difficult. The telemedicine app can ensure all the data and records are maintained in one place. It helps access these records with ease, as they are recorded electronically.

2. Access Patients Easily

When you location bound, you can only get to see patients in your location or city at the most. However, with the telemedicine mobile app, you can go beyond the geographies permitted by your city.

You can even get access to the people located remotely, which makes it an exciting prospect. As a result, you get more patients and improve your retention rate.

3. Better Patient Experience

As the booking is one unpleasant experience for your patients, the telemedicine app aims to remove it. It makes up for the long waiting hours with proper scheduling mechanisms.

The patient can book an appointment for in-person and online consultations and wait for their turn. This will make them happy and get you more patients and recommendations.

4. Better Security

When you are involved in clinical practice, data security is one of your major concerns. You also need to ensure that the data and app are HIPAA compliant. You can enhance security and make it intrinsic to your mobile app with telemedicine solutions.

The apps are developed using current technologies, improved trends, and high-end security layers.

telemedicine app development cta

The Top Benefits for Patients

1. Easy Accessibility of Healthcare

One of the major issues that people face is finding a doctor for their needs. You may not know specialists for all the issues concerned. For example, if a person located in a remote village wants to access the latest technologies, they can do so with a telemedicine app.

They can share their test reports and get another opinion from a doctor geographically distant but virtually nearer.

2. Better Care Experience

When you can ditch long lines and get immediate care, you might love the consequences. It will help you get more time with the treatment, and you don’t have to wait for your turn, not knowing when it will appear.

Moreover, the apps can remind you of the scheduled time, the follow-up time, and other details. The app will have all information regarding your past appointment in one place.

3. Cost-effective

When you go in person, there are plenty of costs involved, including the commute effort and cost. The online apps have packages that take care of your tests and treatment. There are a lot of healthcare options available, which makes it easier for you to access doctors and treatment at an affordable price.

Now that we have looked at the benefits, let’s understand what the must-include features for the mobile app are.

Must-have Features in your Telemedicine Mobile App

When you plan telemedicine app development, you should ideally plan for the purpose and type of app you want to develop.

However, the basic version will include some of the important features that you cannot ignore. We have come out with a list of all these specific features.

must required trending features in telemedicine app

1. The Profile

Users (patients and doctors) must have their profile registered on the mobile app. the patient app will include details such as name, address, phone number, medical history, and others. On the other hand, the doctor app will ask them to list their practice type, specialization, and services apart from qualification and hospital.

2. Dashboard

This is important for both app types

  • Doctor: Can view the patient history, take a glance at visit history and also look into retention data
  • Patient: Their scheduled appointment, the history of visits to the doctor, and other details are noted here

3. Directory

This feature is very important on the patient app. this will take the patients to the doctor list for the particular issue they are facing. For example, if the patient needs an ENT, the directory will feature all the ENTs listed with them. Without this feature, you cannot check for the doctors in your vicinity or in remote areas.

4. Search Bar

This is another important feature as it allows you to search for the doctors for the particular issue. If you already know a few doctors, you can look for them through the search function. The advanced version will include multiple filters to make your search relevant and results better.

5. Prescription Management

If you have ordered medicines from the telemedicine app or the doctor prescribed some tablets, you can have all the prescriptions in one place. It will help you reorder the medicines as needed. If you want to share the prescription with the doctor, you won’t need to move away from the application.

6. Scheduling Appointments

This is an important feature of the telemedicine application. The patients will be able to book in-person as well as online consultations with the app. they can make the scheduling easy. For the doctors, it becomes easy to check and manage the appointments. If the slot is booked, it will not show to the patients, thus saving a lot of wait time.

7. In-app Payments

The patient should be able to pay for the service from within the application. It is important to integrate the payment systems so that they can pay either on booking or after the treatment. This makes it all the more convenient.

8. Support for Slow Connection

There may be places where the connection is sluggish. You should ensure your app can work through the slow connection and provide access to doctors and prescriptions. Plan the design so that slow Internet doesn’t impact the access or usability of the application.

9. Video Conferencing

You should offer a video call facility in your telemedicine application. It comes in handy when you want to consult a doctor while showing them certain things.

For example, when you connect with a skincare doctor, video conferencing will allow you to show the issues on the skin.

The video conferencing will give a better view of your issues and lead to the help needed.

10. In-app Chat

If you have issues with the app, you should be able to reach the support team. The in-app chat can help you resolve queries within minutes. Apart from this, the doctors can use an in-app chat facility to connect with their patients and offer immediate help.

11.  Audio Calls

It is important for the patient to be able to connect with the doctor at their convenience. With in-app calls, the patient can connect with the doctor and chat about their issues. It will make treatment more synchronous.

12. Ratings/Reviews

This is yet another very important feature as it allows you to know what patients feel about the treatment. For example, if a doctor has received good reviews/ratings, they are good at their job. You can consult them about the issues you are facing.

Conclusion

As part of this article, we looked at the difference between telehealth and telemedicine. Telemedicine assures better caregiving experiences and improves retention for doctors. With a handy solution for all your online consultation requirements, it has definitely set the pace for remote caregiving. Blurring the boundaries of access to doctors, you can gain high-quality treatment plans with the most suitable doctors.

Telemedicine app development has grown exponentially owing to the massive opportunities in this segment. If you want to develop your first telemedicine app, you can connect with our team at Expert App Devs. We have experience and expertise with telemedicine apps.

Fill out an online form and book a free consultation with our team.

Vaibhav Patel-img

Vaibhav Patel

Project Manager

Vaibhav Patel is a project manager with expertise in web development, API development, Laravel/PHP/WordPress/Node/Perl development, database management, server management (AWS/ Microsoft Azure), mobile app development and Agile practitioner.

Hire Dedicated Developers from India Reduce Your Project Cost By Up to 50%*

Stay informed and up-to-date on all the latest news from Expert App Devs.
whatsapp icon