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A Complete Overview On mHealth App Development

Author
SPEC INDIA
Posted

October 17, 2024

mHealth App Development Guide

Isn’t it amazing how the mobile health (mHealth) industry is growing with each passing day?

And experts forecasted that the global mHealth apps market size was estimated at USD 32.42 billion in 2023 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 14.9% from 2024 to 2030.

That’s a huge opportunity for anyone interested in mobile health app development.

But let’s be real: developing apps for the healthcare sector isn’t always easy. It’s a regulated industry, which means there are a lot of rules and standards to follow. You have to effectively know these regulations and also apply your programming skills well. Plus, a touch of creativity can go a long way in making your app stand out.

When you think about mHealth app development, focus on what users need and make sure the app is easy to use. Balancing rules with helpful features is important to create a healthcare app that meets standards and is enjoyable for users.

SPEC INDIA recently worked on a project in which we created a caregiver app for one of our clients. They wanted to develop an mHealth app for patients to help them take advice and treatments by sitting at home. They also wanted to make it easier for their hospital staff to provide services on time by setting reminders and taking care of patient history by looking in the app.

Have a look at our caregiver app development project to get a better idea of how healthcare is revolutionizing the way of providing services.

Caregiver App Development

In this blog, we will share our insights on MedTech app development. We’ll discuss what are mHealth apps, the process of app development, the benefits of mobile health apps and how much it cost to develop a healthcare app. We will also discuss How mHealth Apps Can Improve the Experience of Patients and Healthcare Providers. So, let’s jump in and see what this exciting field has to offer!

What are mHealth Apps?

mHealth is also referred to as mHealth applications which are software applications that are used to improve human health with the aid of mobile equipment such as phone and tablets.

These apps generally use mobile technology to offer users different healthcare services to support health conditions and information, besides connecting with care givers. Currently, 65,300 of these are in the Google Play Store while there is just about 54,000 in the Apple App Store.

By seeing it popularity it’s no wonder that many healthcare startups are willing to spend money on developing their own mHealth apps! With the expertise we have in developing healthcare apps, SPEC INDIA can assist the healthcare sector in enhancing the quality-of-service delivery and easing out various healthcare activities.

Our goal is to make data accessibility easier for management so that real-time decisions can be made. Talk to our team today to build innovative mHealth apps that meet your needs.

Different Types of mHealth Applications and Their Features

mHealth applications are not just tools; they are vital companions on our health journeys, tailored to meet the unique needs of various users. These mHealth apps for patients help healthcare providers and organizations in many ways.

Let’s look at the three main types of mHealth apps and how they can make a difference in our lives.

mHealth App Development for Patients

mHealth apps are one of the ways through which patients are changing how they handle their health by offering tools for diagnosing themselves, counting the calories they take and checking on their health status. These apps equip the users to enable them to make decisions regarding the management of their health on their own. Some of the main categories of mHealth apps and the patient’s requirements are mentioned below.

mHealth Apps for Patients

Educational and Self-Diagnosis Apps
These apps help users learn about their health. They can find out more about their symptoms and the treatments available, which enables them to make informed decisions regarding their health.

Nutrition Apps
For individuals looking to eat healthier, nutrition apps are beneficial. They allow users to track their food intake, help with meal planning, and suggest healthier food choices. With these apps, users can make better decisions about their diets.

Health Monitoring Apps
These apps enable users to keep track of important health information like blood pressure, heart rate, and sleep patterns. Some work with wearable devices, providing a complete picture of users’ health over time.

Women’s Health Apps
These apps deal with female-unique experiences and processes of menstruation, childbirth, and menopause. They provide valuable resources to meet the women’s health requirements.

Mental Wellness Apps
Our mind is as important as our bodies. The apps mentioned herein allow users to practice meditation, track their moods, and even engage in stress-reduction techniques. This highlights the importance of digital health app development. Compared to other drugs, they can be useful not only to improve user’s state and provide him with the possibility to have better control over his emotions.

Medication Reminder Apps
These apps help individuals to find reminders to take their medications on the appropriate time. They give notifications, which ensures that users of the mHealth applications take their medicines as required for their health improvement.

Mobile Health App Development for Healthcare Providers

Next, there are apps specifically designed for healthcare providers. These apps help doctors and nurses deliver better care to their patients. Here’s how:

Patient Monitoring Apps
From these mHealth apps for patient, the healthcare provider is able to monitor the patients from a distance. They can keep an eye on the condition of all the patients in the ward and be able to decide on the spot where preference is required.

Reference and Database Apps
These apps can be used by healthcare professionals where such apps offer compliance with relevant medical protocol with regard to medication and therapeutic interventions respectively. This makes certain that they have up to date knowledge to help their patients.

Appointment and Clinical Assistance Apps
These apps help the medical staff in their timetable and in scheduling and tracking other data that is crucial for the patients. They assist in guaranteeing that the providers remain afloat and can deliver requisite care at the correct time.

EHR Solutions
EHR applications assist the providers in the management of the patient’s information with the objective of delivering security in the records of the patients. They facilitate doctors to retrieve medical histories which will result into improvement of patient standards.

mHealth App Development for Organizations

Last, mHealth apps are useful for organizations that intend to optimize services in their offered package. These apps also make healthcare facilities run efficiently. Here are some examples:

Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS)

A lab works with a lot of data, and LIMS assist with that. They help in order and maintenance of records which help in making certain that the laboratories practice the right procedures.

Inventory Management Software

These apps are used in healthcare organisations to track all sorts of medical consumables and amenities effectively. They prevent shortages and make sure that all the things you actually need are all in good order, if not more.

Insurance Claims Management Software

These applications ease the billing process that health care organizations perform. They help keep tabs on insurance expects of claims as well as invoices making the whole process easy for the patients and providers.

Healthcare Operations Management Software

These apps are useful for making changes to organizational forms and the activity flows within them. They help in managing tasks, staffing and scheduling and make a more integrated health care system.

Benefits of mHealth Apps

Let’s discuss some of the benefits of Mobile health app development which you can get by launching your own app in the market.

Lower Healthcare Costs

One of the biggest benefits of healthcare mobile apps is how much they reduce costs. Normally, the healthcare system needs expensive equipment and facilities to operate smoothly. But with mobile health (mHealth) apps, medical services can be provided at a much lower cost. These mHealth apps for patients help them manage their healthcare digitally which cuts down the expensive visits or services while still providing quality care.

Better Healthcare Management

Earlier managing a hospital or clinic scenario involved handling a lot of paperwork, appointments, phone calls which were inefficient and expensive. While coding and scripting an affordable health app many of these aspects can be completed digitally thanks to digital health apps and mHealth apps. Ever increasing numbers of healthcare professionals are implementing the use of healthcare CRM software to better manage the patient interactions and resources thus improving the organizational flow.

Secure and Fast Data Management

Wherever patient data is involved; the task has always been difficult and delicate. Data collecting and managing processes in traditional systems were time-consuming and required almost manual intervention in some cases. Now, mHealth app makes it considerably easier and safer to store and access patient data. These include; Patient’s health details can be securely shared with doctors through the app and only those involved, doctors will ever see the information shared.

More accuracy and security

Mobile apps also contribute to the enhancement of accuracy in the delivery of healthcare services. That is because all patient data are accumulated in one database located in the cloud, which allows mHealth app developers to create systems where doctors receive fewer incorrect diagnoses and prescriptions. Furthermore, there are few opportunities of misunderstanding, and all the valuable patient data remains safe to ensure that patients’ privacy is considered in every process.

Now as we discussed the benefits of mHealth apps for your, let’s go to the next step where we will discuss how to develop a mHealth app?

How to Build a mHealth App?

We are an mHealth app development company that has specialized in the creation of mHealth applications, and we well understand the impact we can have in the improvement of solutions that are positively affecting both patients and practitioners. Well, here’s what the overall scope of constructing a successful mHealth app with integrated basic features and services looks like.

How to Build mHealth App

1. Identify the Root Cause

2. Choose Platforms

3. Hire Ideal mHealth app Development Company

4. Choose Monetization Model

5. Create an MVP

6. Test your mHealth App

7. Launch and Track Performance

Identify the Root Cause

First of all, when it comes to mHealth app development you need to determine the key purpose of your app before starting its development.

Is it intended for promotion of effective patient-doctor relations? Is making the medical record more easily accessible? Give fast identification of the administered medication. That way we focus on what the market needs in terms of healthcare – and without that, an app cannot be truly valuable in the eyes of users. In short

  • Define the problem the app solves.
  • Understand user pain points.
  • Set clear objectives.
  • Align with healthcare regulations.

Choose Platforms

Selecting whether to go with iOS, Android or both is a key decision. Different platforms have their benefits. As an example, iOS could benefit the application or service in a particular region, while Android will suit a more global audience. Depending on your audience and available funds, it is better to use one of the platforms or both with certain popularity among the target audience and better compatibility. In other words –

  • Research your target audience’s preferred platform.
  • Weigh platform-specific features.
  • Budget for single or cross-platform development.
  • Decide between native or cross-platform.

Hire the Ideal App Development Company

Choosing the right development partner is essential to the success of your mHealth app Development. You need a team experienced in healthcare software development, familiar with regulations like HIPAA, and capable of handling sensitive medical data securely.

Here SPEC INDIA comes into picture. Our experience guarantees strict compliance with security, performance and user friendliness requirements and will provide you with a modern, safe. When it comes to hire an mHealth app development company

  • Choose a team experienced in healthcare apps.
  • Ensure technical and security expertise.
  • Prioritize strong UX/UI design skills.
  • Verify their ability to handle sensitive data securely.

Choose a Monetization Model

With regards to the monetization of your app, it can be challenging at times, but it is essential to app sustainability. This way, choosing the correct monetization model, whether by subscription, in app purchase, or affiliation with medical care services, makes assurance that you provide value while creating revenue. We help you identify the best model based on your app’s features, target audience, and long-term goals.

  • Consider subscription or freemium options.
  • Explore partnerships with healthcare providers.
  • Evaluate ad-supported models if applicable.

Create an MVP (Minimum Viable Product)

An MVP helps you create a basic version of the application with the features that are needed to solve the contained problem. This means that you can go to the market with minimal features and functionality and implement them based on feedback. Our development team focuses on delivering a clean, efficient MVP that works smoothly, giving you a solid foundation to build on as your app evolves. For MVP –

  • Focus on key features.
  • Launch quickly for feedback.
  • Keep it simple and user-friendly.
  • Collect early feedback to refine.

Test Your mHealth App

Testing is generally considered a very important part of the development process cycle, especially in mobile health app development. Our team performs several tests to guarantee that your app has no glitches when used on devices and in scenarios. Hence, based on our selected criterion, we pay due attention to the app’s security and its usability and performance features to ensure its security to store and manage medical data. Testing also helps to confirm if the developed app complies with the industry standards and guidelines. In other words –

  • Test for ease of use.
  • Ensure data security and privacy.
  • Check performance under different conditions.
  • Verify regulatory compliance.

Launch and Track Performance

Once your app is launched, it’s not the end but the beginning. You’ll need to monitor how it’s performing—how users are engaging, what features are working well, and where improvements are needed. We offer ongoing support to track the app’s performance, provide updates, and make enhancements as needed, ensuring your mHealth app continues to meet user expectations and grow with evolving needs.

  • Develop a launch strategy.
  • Monitor key metrics like downloads and engagement.
  • Collect and act on user feedback.
  • Release regular updates for improvements.

Trends in mHealth App Development

Now let’s discuss some of the trends in mHealth app Development so that you can get an idea how rapidly this market is growing globally.

Trends in mHealth App Development

Telemedicine is Changing How We See Doctors

Telemedicine means you can talk to your doctor through video calls or messages, so you don’t have to go to the office. This makes it easier for patients to get care quickly and helps doctors check on their patients without in-person visits. More people are liking this convenience, making telemedicine a popular trend in healthcare apps.

AI and Machine Learning Make Health Apps Smarter

Artificial Intelligence (AI) assists the health apps in determining your state of health and advice you on what to do. For instance, it could predict that, based on the type of activity the user has been engaged in or change in the number of steps taken, or in pulse, it is time to go to a doctor. What this means is that most health complications can be identified at an early stage. This means that as AI gets better, these apps will be of more help to both the patients and the doctors.

Wearable Devices Keep Track of Your Health

Smartwatches and fitness trackers are great tools for monitoring your health. They are the best examples of MedTech app development because it allows you to easily track and analyze your health through you mobile. Some of them, for example, can record the number of steps taken, pulse rates, and the level of sleep. These devices link up with health apps, then allow user and doctor to make necessary decisions by giving updates on a real-time basis. This trend is actually helping to simplify the management of health and making it more communicative.

Keeping Your Data Safe is Very Important

With so much personal health information being stored online, it’s crucial to keep it secure. Health apps are focusing on stronger security measures, like using encryption to protect your data and ensuring only authorized people can access it. This is a top priority of mHealth app developers so you can trust that your information is safe while using these apps.

Blockchain Ensures Secure Sharing of Health Data

Blockchain is in fact a way of maintaining privacy and security of your health records while doctors can easily share them between themselves. Picture having your entire heath record from your medical history to your organ donors in a single location which is only accessible by you as a patient, and your physicians. This trend means that sharing health information is simple and safe, thus rendering you more power over your information.

Personalized Care Just for You

Many health apps feature have gone personalized so that it can fit the uniqueness of the user. This means you can receive individualised advice on how to be healthy, when to take the drugs, and the needed treatment regimen. This trend makes healthcare more personalised, enabling you to manage your health needs in a better way.

Mental Health Apps are Here to Help

There is an increasing emphasis on mental health, and many applications related to mental health are being developed. Such apps may include voice-guided meditations, stress busting activities and access to professionals. It helps people and their fellows to attend to their psychological issues or needs easily.

Voice Technology Makes Apps Easier to Use

Some of the new additions to health apps are being made possible by voice commands where instead of using finger to touch a screen, you command the health application. Some of the important features which you can do without typing any single thing are asking questions, setting reminders, scheduling an appointment just by speaking. It is for this reason that health apps are more inclusive to everyone, to those who maybe have challenges using touch screens.

How Much Does It Cost for Mobile Health App Development?

The cost of mobile health app development can vary widely based on several factors. Here’s a breakdown of the key elements that influence the overall cost:

Estimated App Dev Cost Summary

Type of App

  • Basic Apps: Simple apps with minimal features (like appointment scheduling or basic health tracking) typically cost less, ranging from $30,000 to $80,000.
  • Complex Apps: Apps with advanced features (like telemedicine, AI integration, or wearables connectivity) can cost between $80,000 and $200,000 or more.
  • Enterprise Solutions: Large-scale mHealth applications for healthcare organizations can exceed $200,000, depending on customization and integration needs.

Features and Functionality

The more features you want, the higher the cost. Common features in digital health app development generally includes:

  • User profiles and accounts
  • Health tracking and monitoring
  • Telemedicine functionalities (video calls, messaging)
  • Data encryption and security measures
  • Integration with wearable devices
  • Appointment scheduling and reminders
  • Push notifications and alerts

Platform

iOS, Android, or Both: Developing for both platforms generally increases the cost. A single-platform app (either iOS or Android) might range from $25,000 to $60,000, while a cross-platform app could be more expensive, starting at $50,000.

Design and User Experience

A well-designed app that is easy to use can significantly impact development costs. Investing in good design can range from $20000 to $30,000 or more, depending on the complexity and quality of the user interface.

Development Team Location

Your development team’s location remains another essential factor that affects the general cost of your mHealth application significantly; unfortunately, hiring a local team in the United States or western Europe means having to pay much higher rates, therefore empowering your entire budget. Conversely, relying on outside agencies in eastern Europe, India or southeast Asia might be relatively cheaper than developing an app in-house.

This makes it the choice for most startups who desire to get quality products at a relatively cheaper price. Thus, if you are strategic in choosing the place of your development team, then you can choose a solution that will be good for your pocket and for the project.

Maintenance and Updates

Post-launch, you’ll need to budget for ongoing maintenance and updates, which can cost about 15% to 20% of the initial development cost per year. This ensures your app stays functional, secure, and up to date with new operating system versions and features.

Estimated Cost Summary

  • Basic App: $30,000 to $80,000.
  • Moderately Complex App: $40,000 – $90,000
  • Highly Complex App: $80,000 and $200,000
  • Enterprise Solutions: $200,000+

Final Thoughts

Over the last 5 years, there has been incredible growth in the use of mHealth apps, rising more than 65%. There is emerging need amongst people to assume some level of personal responsibility on how they manage their health. Over time, it has become the anticipation of healthcare providers to provide continual, technologically driven conveniences that address the patient’s needs.

Due to the growing number of its fans, techniques conveyed via mHealth apps is vast and multifaceted, which assists individuals with health management. It has now become imperative for healthcare organizations to integrate mHealth apps that will meet the current trends and give organizations a fighting chance.

If you’re considering developing mHealth application, we’re here to help. We have a team of dedicated mHealth app developers who better knows the market trends and expectations!

Contact us today to discover how we can support your journey toward better healthcare solutions.

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Author
SPEC INDIA

SPEC INDIA, as your single stop IT partner has been successfully implementing a bouquet of diverse solutions and services all over the globe, proving its mettle as an ISO 9001:2015 certified IT solutions organization. With efficient project management practices, international standards to comply, flexible engagement models and superior infrastructure, SPEC INDIA is a customer’s delight. Our skilled technical resources are apt at putting thoughts in a perspective by offering value-added reads for all.

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