Advances in information and communication technology (ICT) have allowed the creation of systems and apps targeted at aiding rehabilitation treatment and, therefore, contributing to the enrichment of patients’ life quality in recent years. To preserve a competitive edge and improve the quality of health services, web-enabled communication, patient services, and other e-Health projects have been extensively developed. Thus, health care has become much better as a result of this. Health care providers have always relied on technology to provide tools, diagnoses, and various therapy options (Char et al., 2020). In addition, the use of information and communication technology in the administration and planning of health sectors has grown significantly in recent years. Thus, healthcare providers must broaden their capacities to include patients and the public to create powerful, efficient, user-friendly telemedicine platforms. Doctors and nurses utilize the Internet in two primary ways: via email and a vast repository of clinical knowledge. Aside from their excellent computer abilities and favorable outlook on the Internet, it is also said that they have a strong desire to utilize both methods regularly. Although some health professionals still have difficulty accepting new technology, several health sectors incorporate ICT into some of their disciplines.
Major healthcare applications
They include Telehealth, Electronic Health Records, and an Application Service Provider (ASP).
Types of payers
One who pays for medical services provided by a healthcare professional is called a payer. Private insurance firms are most often associated with this phrase since they provide their clients with health plans that cover the costs of medical treatment and care services and pay consumers for those expenses. Commercial, private, and government are the three sorts of payers selected.
Impact of apps on global healthcare
The adoption of healthcare apps has had a profound impact on the dynamics of global healthcare. Most significantly, they’ve simplified and streamlined the process of receiving treatment and care. Healthcare apps have enhanced patient care throughout the globe. Virtual appointments allow patients to visit with their doctor virtually. Virtual appointments may be available at certain clinics, allowing you to meet with a doctor or nurse through a webcam. When an in-person visit is not needed or practicable, these appointments allow you to continue receiving treatment from your usual doctor (Char et al., 2020). Other virtual appointments include doctor or nurse practitioner “visits” that take place over the Internet. These services are similar to those offered in a walk-in clinic in most cases. Certain big corporations offer virtual physicians’ offices as part of their health care services. To use a web-based service, you must answer a series of questions before proceeding. When the doctor or nurse practitioner decides to prescribe medicine or offer home health care options, they might also recommend extra medical treatment. Additionally, nurses at a nursing call center employ a question-and-answer style to assist patients in their own homes with their health care needs. Diagnosis of drug prescription is not the responsibility of a nurse call center. Furthermore, remote monitoring has been made possible thanks to the applications. The doctor can monitor your health from afar thanks to various technologies. Included among these tools are:
- Using a web-based or mobile app to upload data to your doctor or health care team, such as blood glucose measurements, is possible.
- Blood pressure, glucose, and lung function monitoring devices that wirelessly communicate data
- These gadgets automatically record and send heart rate, blood glucose levels, gait and posture patterns, tremors, and physical activity or sleep schedules.
- Detecting changes in daily activities, such as falls, among the elderly or those with dementia at home.
Additionally, physicians can communicate with doctors throughout the globe. Doctors may also use technology to improve patient care. For instance, primary care practitioners may consult with experts through virtual consultation when they have doubts regarding their diagnosis or therapy. Exam notes, history, test results, and X-rays or other pictures are sent by primary care doctors to specialists. There are a number of options available to the expert, including electronic responses, virtual appointments at your doctor’s office, or even a personal encounter. As a result of these virtual consultations, there may be no need for unneeded in-person referrals to specialists, reduced wait periods for professional input, and no wasteful travel. Patients and doctors can access each other’s health records through tools like telehealth and the Electronic Health Record (Char et al., 2020). It is an electronic personal health record system or PHR system that you manage and maintain. Your computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone can be used to access a PHR app at any time. Patients’ medical histories, including current diagnoses, medications, drug allergies, and contact information for their doctors, can be quickly made available to emergency personnel in an emergency. Personal health applications have also been developed. Apps that assist customers in better managing several developers have developed their medical information. One may find these digital tools useful in a number of ways:
- Keep a record of the medical history.
- Keep track of the vitals.
- Determine how many calories one consumes and keep track of it.
- One will get medication reminders on a regular basis.
Also noteworthy is that technological advancements still hold promise for increasing access to and improving the quality of health care for everyone. Telehealth has the potential to improve the quality, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness of medical treatment by bringing it closer to patients’ homes (Vannithamby & Soong, 2020). Even though telehealth and other applications are still in their infancy, there is much interest in them. Both telephone-based assistance and telemonitoring of vital signs of persons with heart failure have been found to minimize the risk of mortality and hospitalization for heart failure and enhance the quality of life.
Are the apps standardized or customized?
Currently, they are being tailored to fulfill particular requirements. Healthcare software developers often overlook users’ features, duties, preferences, and other aspects of usability. As a result, systems may cause productivity to drop or become useless. Poor system development may be traced to a number of causes, including budget and time constraints and a dearth of programmers versed in user-centered design principles. Furthermore, 63 percent of initiatives overrun their budgets because of a lack of user analysis from the beginning (Vannithamby & Soong, 2020). Good customization principles may save both time and money by being included early on in the project and reduce the number of design modifications that have to be made later in the process, how the product is going to be used, where it will be put to use, and what characteristics are considered necessary by the target user. One of the primary uses of a UCD for designers is addressing issues related to mental representations of illness and disability for both patients and specialists.
Benefits of using these apps
Patients in rural areas without access to a local doctor or clinic can benefit from using technology to deliver health care, saving money, time, and inconvenience. Because of these reasons, the use of telemedicine has increased significantly over the past decade (Vannithamby & Soong, 2020). Telehealth is now used by 76 percent of hospitals in the United States, up from 35 percent a decade ago. Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic necessitates more telehealth services. There is a growing interest in and use of technology to provide and receive health care because of concerns about the spread of the virus (Chaet et al., 2017). Three-quarters of those polled said the pandemic had piqued their interest in trying out virtual healthcare. Virtual health care visits increased from just 4% to 14% of those over 50 in the first three months of the pandemic, a dramatic increase in those over 50 who had a remote visit last year. A user will enjoy several advantages.
- They can keep track of weight, food consumption, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels, and report them to the doctor through a wearable gadget.
- A doctor’s or a nurse’s visit is entirely online or through a mobile device.
- An online gateway that allows one to check their test results seek medication refills, message the doctor, or make an appointment with them.
- Sharing test results, diagnoses, prescriptions, and drug allergies with all of the providers.
- Assisting in the coordination of care between the primary care provider and any specialists the patient visits, including exchanging exam notes and test results between medical offices in different locations.
- Get reminders via email or text when one is due for screenings like mammograms, colonoscopies, and vaccinations.
- Ensuring that senior citizens eat, sleep, and take their medications on time at home is an important responsibility.
Benefits of App Customization
Users’ adoption and enjoyment of these apps are increased when they are tailored to meet their traits and demands. The framework’s inclusion of end-users in the design process enables crucial data collection on user demands. In addition, the initial functional layouts are more reliable and validated. Thus, this framework serves as a starting point for designing telemedicine system interfaces tailored to the users’ demands. Without lowering patient monitoring, it greatly lowers the time spent in hospitals. In addition, the use of a web application allows for more flexible communication between the patient and the doctor. Using this approach, telemedicine systems may be designed more efficiently. Because of this, researchers and system developers must collaborate in order to apply user-centered design principles to the creation of new systems that cater to the particular requirements of individual patients. Furthermore, the medical team, the design team, and the development team must work together to guarantee that telemedicine systems are properly designed and implemented.
Conclusion
It is projected that medical applications will become even more ubiquitous in clinical practice as their capabilities and applications develop. Medical facilities are still hesitant to employ them in clinical practice, though. Most health care professionals don’t have a full grasp of the hazards and benefits that come along with the gadgets and applications that doctors and nurses use every day. Medical applications must be thoroughly evaluated, validated, and best-practice standards developed if they are to be utilized with any degree of confidence. As a result of such metrics, the primary determinant of an app’s worth may ultimately be its capacity to supply end users with relevant and correct information and assistance, in order to serve the crucial aim of improving patient outcomes.
References
Chaet, D., Clearfield, R., Sabin, J. E., & Skimming, K. (2017). Ethical practice in Telehealth and Telemedicine. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 32(10), 1136–1140.
Char, D. S., Abràmoff, M. D., & Feudtner, C. (2020). Identifying Ethical Considerations for Machine Learning Healthcare Applications. The American Journal of Bioethics, 20(11), 7–17.
Vannithamby, R., & Soong, A. (2020). 5G Verticals: Customizing Applications, Technologies and Deployment Techniques. In Google Books. John Wiley & Sons.
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