07/11/2024
The global digital health market was valued at $96.5 billion in 2020, with an estimated annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 15% through 2028. This trend has become even more prominent in the context of COVID-19, with significant growth in the demand for telemedicine services. Additionally, according to a GSMA study, smartphones are expected to achieve a market penetration of around 80% by 2025, which implies growing adoption of mobile health apps by both doctors and patients.
In this article, we explain all the aspects to consider when you are contemplating creating a health app. We also detail the five basic steps that should be followed from the moment an idea is conceived to the launch of a health application in the market.
Health Apps are mobile applications that address or simplify many medical challenges: they track patient health data, provide remote assistance, allow 24/7 access to doctors, and can offer health advice, among other functions. The digital health niche is vast, and health app types vary widely depending on their objectives and the benefits they offer.
When analyzing the various types of Health Apps available in the market, they can be segmented according to three main audiences: Patients, Medical Staff, and Hospitals. Below is a list of the main types of medical apps based on the target audience.
A health app for patients does not always require the involvement of a healthcare professional, yet it can still provide patients with highly relevant information about their health. Examples of applications for patients include the Prevenmama app, which helps prevent breast cancer, or the Coronacheck app, which ensures safety in respiratory therapies. Health applications for patients may include one or several functionalities, such as:
A health app designed for medical staff generally involves doctors and nursing professionals. These types of apps act as a bridge for communication and treatment processes between medical staff and patients, and are known as professional apps. Examples include an e-learning application for healthcare personnel or the Walkway app, which assists in tracking surgical follow-ups for patients. Health applications for medical professionals often include one or more of the following functionalities:
A health app for hospitals aims to address various administrative and management challenges within medical centers. An example might be a mobile application for expense control in hospitals. The functionalities these apps typically offer include one or more of the following:
Just as a business seeks to address an unmet need in the market, mobile apps aim to solve or improve solutions for specific problems. One reason health apps have become so popular is that they effectively address the challenges and needs of both doctors and patients. Below are some of the advantages and benefits that a health app can offer, from both the healthcare professional’s and the patient’s perspective.
A health app enables a medical professional to monitor a patient remotely, regardless of physical distance. This saves time for the physician by allowing them to consult via video calls, phone calls, or even chat, rather than conducting an in-person visit.
Medical applications help healthcare professionals manage their work schedules efficiently, ensuring that appointments are booked at the most convenient times. Additionally, they allow for the management of basic tasks through mobile devices and web apps.
A lack of trust between a patient and their doctor can be as concerning as physical pain. In today’s digital age, a strong digital presence is essential for brand recognition. For patients, being treated by a doctor or medical center with a well-developed digital presence increases the likelihood that they will choose the same provider again.
Medical apps allow patients to communicate easily and comfortably with their doctors via video conferencing. Doctors, in turn, have the tools to properly examine and monitor their patients, even prescribing medications and overseeing treatment regimens.
Online appointments are generally less expensive than in-person visits, not only because patients save on travel but also because doctors and private clinics often set lower fees for online consultations.
For private healthcare, there is no longer a need to pay with cash. Patients can schedule an appointment and make the payment directly through the app, making the process accessible, quick, and efficient.
Through health apps, most issues can be addressed without patients needing to leave home, saving them time and avoiding long waits. Additionally, they can have electronic access to their medical history, offering a seamless healthcare experience.
To create a health app, you will need to:
Just like in business, developing an app can be a waste of time and resources if it does not bring value to its users. The fundamental first step in establishing this value is to answer the following question:
What problem am I looking to solve with my app?
Perhaps the problem you aim to address is helping Alzheimer’s patients with a cognitive stimulation app, or maybe you are thinking of developing an app that helps detect breast cancer risk. You might want to facilitate surgical follow-ups for patients or offer postgraduate medical education through an e-learning app. Maybe your goal is to optimize a hospital’s resources with an expense control app, or, as a final example, to enhance the performance and technique of runners through a fitness app.
Whatever your idea may be, it must be rooted in a clearly identified market problem in the area where you intend to launch your health app. At GooApps, this step is known as the DISCOVER phase.
Once you have identified this problem and defined the value proposition, you will need to conduct market research: investigate the niche and identify your competitors. What value do they offer? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Most importantly, how can your health app stand out among them?
This step is critical for health app development teams. Healthcare is a highly sensitive area, and, consequently, so are medical apps. When planning the development of a health app, it is essential to comply with data protection regulations as well as with medical certifications, depending on the type of app being developed.
In Europe, all apps handling personal information, such as medical data, must strictly comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). In the United States, developing a medical app requires compliance with HIPAA regulations. In all cases, patient data must be transmitted and received by medical apps in encrypted formats and over secure connections.
Additionally, based on the type and functionalities of the health app to be developed, a series of medical certifications and technical specifications may also be required, including:
Professional health app development teams do not immediately start coding once the desired functionalities and features are defined. This is not because they lack the ability but because they know they should not, primarily for economic reasons. Every line of code has a cost, and it is much more efficient, financially speaking, to complete the concept of a health app before beginning actual development.
This is achieved by creating a prototype. The app’s functionalities and features are mapped onto interactive, clickable screens that look almost identical to a finished product. The magic of prototyping lies in the following:
And all of this is done without investing a single dollar from the development budget. Although UX and UI work is one of the most important aspects when designing a health app, it usually represents just a small part of the total cost, unlike development through coding.
Numerous tools allow for the rapid and intuitive creation of interactive prototypes. Some, like Balsamiq or Proto.io, are easy enough to use that anyone can create mock-ups. Others, like Adobe XD or InVision, require resources and specialized health app developers.
In short, a good prototype essentially creates a medical app, while at the same time, it does not. The only limitation is that in this phase, potential app users cannot download it or use functionalities not connected to the prototype.
At GooApps, this step is known as the DEFINE phase, encompassing the architecture, design, and prototyping of intuitive, omnichannel technological solutions through UX Design and Visual Design services.
You had an idea, and you were able to design a prototype that addresses one or more market problems—your health app is beginning to take shape. The next step, before turning the app into something fully functional, is to choose the technology stack you will use.
The technology stack is the combination of technologies that will be used to develop an application. Generally, it consists of programming languages and frameworks, databases, front-end and back-end tools, as well as connections with applications through APIs. The technology stack determines the type of health app you can develop, how efficient it can be, and the human resources required to achieve the final result.
The different elements to consider in a technology stack can be classified into the following typical groups:
These are chosen based on the environment you have selected to develop your medical app, the way you want to create the back end, the user experience, and the devices for which the app will be available.
This group includes servers, content distribution networks, routing, and caching services that allow apps to send and receive requests, operate smoothly, and scale capacity as needed.
These include relational and non-relational databases, data warehouses, and data pipelines that enable the storage and querying of both current and historical data. This is crucial for saving all activity within the app and for understanding user behavior.
A collection of languages, libraries, and utilities designed to help developers build applications. They provide a structure for functions such as database communication, handling user requests, and sending registration or password reset emails.
Services and frameworks for user experience, including the interface and all features implemented for users.
These services help you connect to extensions of your technology stack. They can be collections of prebuilt APIs or gateways that manage traffic when large amounts of information need to be exchanged with other systems.
A set of tools that helps you understand the performance of each layer of your technology stack. They collect and provide analytics on the software’s functionality, helping track the status of servers, databases, services, and other internal systems.
These tools gather data from different company and market sources, designed to enable high-level decision-making. They often include innovative ways to report and analyze data.
Tools used to track, store, and analyze user behavior at each stage of the customer journey. They provide clear and organized insights into health app users.
By this stage, you have a clear vision of the functionalities and features that your health app will bring to the market. You also have an interactive prototype that seems fully functional. You have defined all the technological and human resources needed to carry out your project. You feel fully prepared and believe nothing can stop you from diving into the development of your health app, right?
Well, in most cases, that is true, but do not rush if your goal is to create an extraordinary medical application. We suggest focusing on a couple of critical points during the development process to ensure that you are building a health app that will have a remarkable impact on the market.
To attract the largest possible user base, you have probably defined a set of APIs in your technology stack. These APIs will help gather location and proximity data, track vital signs through HealthKit or other specific medical devices, work with Electronic Health Records (EHR), among other features in health app development.
Just make sure that the APIs you choose are available for commercial use and verify whether you will need to open the source code due to their usage.
Agile and/or Lean might already be guiding principles for you, and this is the time to put them into practice. Through weekly sprints in mobile health app development, you will likely achieve the desired result faster and with fewer iterations than expected. If so, you will have time for further testing and can adjust additional sprints if necessary.
Another key consideration is continuous delivery. Your health app development team should set up a development environment that allows you, the product manager, and quality control engineers to test completed functionalities without interrupting the development of subsequent features.
Finally, you must understand the differences between a native app, a hybrid app, and a web app. If you choose to develop a health app for Android, you may reach a larger user base than if you develop for iOS. On the other hand, if you opt for cross-platform native software like React Native, you can launch it on both iOS and Android, thus reaching a broader audience.
At GooApps, we call the MVP phase the Develop phase. This includes the development of applications for all mobile devices, applying the most innovative technologies and combining Continuous Delivery with Agile and Lean methodologies.
We would like to conclude with a few takeaways:
At GooApps, we have extensive experience in developing Health Apps. We know firsthand how to create applications that meet medical certifications and data protection laws, from defining the problem to delivering a market-ready product. Do you have an idea for a health app that you would like to develop and need a specialized team to guide you through the development process? Contact us. We would be delighted to help!
How much does it cost to develop a health app?
The average cost of developing a health app can vary significantly based on the objectives, functionalities, and development frameworks chosen. The typical price for developing a medical application for iOS and Android, complete with backend infrastructure and design, can range from €40,000 to €80,000.
How do you create a successful mobile health app?
Collaboration and a product-focused mindset are essential for creating an effective app. A solid partnership among product, design, and development professionals will ensure that a mobile app meets user needs.
How long does it take to develop a health app?
The approximate development time for a health app is typically five to six months, depending on requirements, such as the features being implemented, design, and the specialists involved in the process.
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