Introduction
The growth and innovation of technology have significantly impacted the change in all sectors, including the medical field. Technology has gotten to the point of making products/apps that make life easier for people in all industries; we are at the age of convenience, where people opt not to leave the comfort of their houses but still get services through delivery and online platforms. Statistically, the number of people using smartphones in the U.S. as of this year is estimated to be 306 million people (Statista, 2010); this number is an excellent representation of how effective mobile device apps are to people. This new trend has also rubbed off on the medical world, which is not bad because it has reduced the physical traffic in hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies (Majumder & Deen,2019). Communication between patients and HealthCare Professionals (HCP) has also improved and is almost seamless.
Mobiles are not just smartphones, but other hospital assistance devices used to improve patient care. This report will exemplify the magnitude of mobile apps in the medical field. The uses of the apps today for appointments, maternal health, medical advancements, and monitoring health. The benefits of applications in specific areas of usage, recommendations of what should be changed or adjusted, and what the future of medicine looks like with mobile apps. The importance of these apps in modern-day life to professionals is highlighted in the essay to provide a look into the changing field of medicine. It is important to note that though the direct impact of the use of apps is on the patients, it also affects the economy, environment, and social aspects of the world. The following chapters will explain in detail the state of mobile device apps in medicine through past and current findings, trends, observations, and studies.
Uses of Mobile Device Apps
Online Consultation
The growing technology world has seen the growth of online services; this has directly come to play in the health industry. Companies like Apple and Samsung have devices that run on operating systems that support the use of mobile apps seamlessly on tablets, mobile phones, and other connected devices; both Android and iOS house frameworks of services, consultancy being one of them. Patients and doctors can communicate through Zoom, Google Meet, and other video applications that enable audio and image communication. These apps allow one to get professional advice and guidance before walking into a clinic or hospital for help.
A perfect example of how best online consultation served the public was during the pandemic; due to the contagious nature of the virus, governments had to restrictespecially for hospitals’ physical services. Online consultation saved many people because just as life continues, diseases and ailments form a prevalent part of human life. Therefore, those that sort other medical assistance were able to be met and given treatment through online consultation, which improved the contamination rate and spread rate of the Covid-19 virus (Zhou et al.,2020). Online consultation also played a significant role in ruling out the symptoms of the virus and other related diseases for patients.
Patients who have used online services prefer them to physical visits, and this is because it has created a sense of safety for them. After all, they do not have to be around other patients. It saves on time and transfers money, one has to have internet access and a smartphone to enjoy the service compared to former years when one had to take a day off, go to the hospital, wait to be attended to, get medication, and then head out. Online consultation has created a positive relationship with healthcare because online consumers can watch their lifestyles without consulting doctors every so often. A great example is women’s care apps, which pregnant and post-pregnancy women increasingly rely on as they support pregnancy care, including promoting a healthy lifestyle and providing childcare. Chan, K. L., & Chen, M. (2019). The mothers can plan adequately for their child’s appointments and milestones, such as vaccinations, booster shots, meal plans, and other healthy behaviors associated with child care.
Another significant benefit of online consultation has been the ability to have patients get advice and assistance from the best doctors worldwide without distance being a factor. A patient could have a consultation with a professional across the globe over the phone, increasing the chances of recovery and reducing the number of talks needed for a correct diagnosis. The online consultancy has allowed patients to select their preferred doctor, be it due to language barriers or the patient’s preferences. The apps offer assistance at any time with minimum resources needed (Rupareliya, 2020). The cost-effectiveness of mobile app consultancy has created room for those without healthcare insurance to get medical care still when needed.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis refers to finding the problem and giving it a name and solution. In the medical field, this would be giving the symptoms one is experiencing and giving it a name, usually a disease, and the medication required to recover from it. With the assistance of mobile applications, we have patients presenting their symptoms to an app that is A.I. generated, and the diagnosis made within minutes. For this to happen, A.I. must be well-versed with the many diseases in the world. This new technology has created a different feel to the conventional medical care that was dominant almost 15 years back. The use of A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) has improved the analysis of scans and lab reports; we have apps that can accurately interpret MRI-scan, X-Rays, and other scans and give precise results. With the correct results, the patients can get care faster and recover quickly compared to a missed detail by the human eye that could cause irreversible conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and other terminal diseases. The data stored in the database is considered there for a lifetime unless erased. It is advantageous because cloud storage is reliable, accessible on demand, and can expand to large volumes compared to physical files (Tahir et al.,2020). Therefore, the correct diagnosis compared to new diseases is faster.
Patients in remote and almost inaccessible areas can now receive treatment and quick diagnosis through mobile device applications, like in China, for the self-assessment of SpondyloArthritis (Ji et al.,2019). The use of smartphones has made this possible. With the help of Bluetooth connections and other types of connections, sensors have made it simpler to carry the required devices anywhere. In the age of smartwatches that monitor heart rate, calories burnt and used, body temperature, and BMI, it is easier to notice an irregularity in their normal body functions and present them to an online doctor and get treatment.
The growing accuracy of online diagnosis has seen ease for doctors too. They may use the same apps to diagnose a patient. The app works by having patients key in their symptoms with any attached lab results on their tablets, generating possible diseases and the necessary treatment. The pressure this releases off the professionals allows for better care and satisfied patients; this has minimized the number of misdiagnoses of diseases over the years. Man is to error, and a small mistake could lead to the loss of life. With the A.I., on the other hand, the diagnosis is based on facts and accuracy (Davenport & Kalakota,2019), relying on the data available in the system on which it bases its information, and A.I. is better than humans in some areas.
The very minimal care of having portable blood pressure monitors, heart rate monitors, and weight measurements has reduced the number of patients who occasionally have to visit the doctors. They can always measure them from the comfort of their home and keep a personal record that doctors can view for reference. The online records easily trace any anomalies in the patient and give the best treatment, eventually reducing the tests required and providing instant treatment for the patients. With the rise in obesity and lifestyle-related diseases, apps encouraging physical movements and workouts assist in reducing the risks associated with unhealthy lifestyles. Software engineers and physical trainers created the fitness app to suit everyone, from beginner to advanced level, with fun challenges for timelines. Some apps have options for diet planning and allow users to customize them to ensure they are easily maintained (Tong et al.,2022). Fitness and health-tracking apps play a significant role in promoting healthy habits.
Medicine Advancement
The advancement of treatment, the use of technology, and apps that allow sharing of data have seen an increase in the finding of disease treatment. Researchers worldwide can share their test results easily and do not have to have frequent physical meetings to share the same results. Medicine aims to enable a person to lead an everyday life with a well-functioning body; treatment has been modified over the years to make it effective and give fast relief. Technology and data collected over the years enable this to happen. HCPs can read about diseases and treatments while on the move because they have their phones or tablets installed with medicine-related apps that assist with study (Chandran et al.,2022), like Youtube, where a skilled doctor can easily share their knowledge with others.
Other current uses of mobile device apps would be for delivery purposes. The delivery services that have come about in the pharmacy field have increased daily. The online consultation and diagnosis provide patients with a prescription that they can share online with a pharmacy that verifies the legitimacy of the prescription on the system and can get their medicine on their doorstep. Reducing people’s congestion in pharmacies and giving patients the privacy of treatment (Feng et al.,2019) has improved the use of the online platform.
Appointment apps solve a part of the medical side that involves caring for doctors and other professionals. One of the biggest problems doctors faced was burnout due to long shifts or hectic schedules, which caused them to provide sub-standard patient services. The appointment applications solve this problem by allowing the doctors to create a schedule they can efficiently serve for the long-term goal of providing treatment. Similarly, it helps share responsibilities better within the facility and smoothness. Mental health is a crucial part of providing the best attention to customers.
Economic and Social effects of Mobile Device Apps
The growth of mobile device apps has brought benefits on the economic front. The constant increase of uploaded apps on the web stores has created more sources of revenue for people. An estimated 210 medical-related apps are in daily production to meet the different needs the consumers would need. With every app that gets good traffic, the need for someone to respond to the patient after delivery services, referrals, and other job descriptions are created and, in the long run, impacts the GDP because it reduces the unemployment rate, which sits at 5.46% as of 2021 (Macrotrends, 2022).
The market size of the mobile health industry is estimated to be $59 billion in 2020 (www.grandviewresearch.com); this attribute is due to the growth in the diversity of the services and products it has produced in previous years. Such outstanding finance can provide more employment and room for more start-ups in the industry.
The economic effects mentioned above are on a large-scale view; on a much smaller scale, patients save more money using online apps than conventional walk-in visits. Most apps will not require the consumers to pay anything to get their symptoms accessed; the only fee is for prescription drugs and, at times, a doctor’s cost, which is cheaper than insurance (Palen et al.,2012). Online consultation is cheaper because services such as review, consultation, and expenses accrued within the facility do not add up to the final cost.
The adverse effects of mobile device apps in the medical industry are few but mentionable. The growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) brought the emergence of robots and robotic services. Robots and apps do more and more procedures are d, which will have more humans unemployed in the long run. Mobile devices and apps mean doctors and patients communicate directly, and the number of floor nurses required at any given time is less. The apps have reduced the number of lab technicians, surgeons, specialists, and all medical career people because the algorithm does all the work for most doctors. This shift in service also challenges the legal side of things if the hospital faces lawsuits. Who would take accountability for the case? (Shuaib & Shuaib,2020). Though the benefits outweigh the risks, the elements of being served by a human are a gap A.I. cannot fill because it lacks, and app users feel it, which is why they must work together. Commercial health applications provide the services of both A.I. and humans because, for a small fee, the consumer gets premium services that are curated to fit their current lifestyle, from finances, work schedule, area of residency, and other factors.
The Future of the Mobile Device Apps
The future is bright because we are still in the early stages of development. While the future seems promising, some current issues may need to be sorted out or require keen attention from consumers. One would be privacy. In an age where data is the new oil, everyone needs to know how their information shall be used, stored, or discarded once shared. The data collected by these apps is mainly stored in the cloud because it provides easy access and large servers and memory. However, with no end-to-end security, hackers can use the same data maliciously for Ransome. These platforms present identity theft, card fraud, and other online crimes. Usually, this can be resolved by the consumers reading the app’s terms and conditions before signing up. The other solution would be through governments controlling the use of these apps. With over 200 new app uploads daily, it may become difficult to handle.
Hospital facilities are building their apps if they do not already have their own; this is to aid in having seamless communication with the patients and different departments within the hospital. The labs, nurses, and EMS are also using them for educational purposes. These apps will narrow the gap between doctors by easing the communication and referrals one needs. They have reduced the number of deaths and accidents by having doctors communicate easily with nurses.
Due to the app’s reliance on sensors and images, there could be a misdiagnosis of a problem. The quality of the images provided by patients and the sensor could be the difference between a hit or miss when giving a diagnosis. The quality of the images directly affects the accuracy of the results. This reliance means the A.I. and medical industry will still need humans because we must only partially rely on the applications. A physical look at an injury or exterior symptoms could give a precise evaluation of the severity of any medical problem.
All the factors mentioned above will see the use of mobile device apps in schools for educational purposes, reducing the use of textbooks and physical materials. The simulation of surgical instances also improves with 3D visual use, virtual reality, and augmented reality to practice procedures before handling an actual patient, producing better results. It may become mandatory in the future to have mobile device apps that provide this learning assistance for students.
The resistance the apps are facing from some HCPs may be around for a while, but with the knowledge of what benefits it provides, they could slowly ease up on the idea. Resistance from consumers is present patients who believe in conventional medical care struggle to see this as an advancement. The emergency service departments have continued to appreciate the apps’ benefits, which have provided them with crucial information in cases of unknown persons and any patient history. The future does look promising as long as it involves everyone within the field.
The merging of careers is soon happening because technology and medicine will be a huge economic market. Investors invest money in innovations that promise to last for decades and are necessary to the human race. This merger has increased the probability of providing great service, healthcare, and treatment for a lower price.
Conclusion
Mobile device apps are to be incorporated firmly into the medical field. It is important to note that it is growing like wildfire, unstoppable, but with this kind of growth, there must be regulations. The government and institutions, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), must keep regulating the quality of apps being used by educating the consumers, placing fines and codes of conduct, and auditing the SLAs of the apps.
Though the image presented is one of a future where we will not have human doctors, it is quite the opposite; these apps are creations made to assist the HCPs, not replace them. The professionals have a say in what works best in the apps through evaluation, testing, development process, and critical opinions on the apps because software engineers develop them. The use of robots and robotics may still pose a risk because in cases of a malfunctioning system or something within the system going wrong, how can we fix that without harming the patients?
The pros of the current mobile device apps have been excellent and keep the future promising, especially when treating chronic diseases such as diabetes. The goal of medicine is to provide health care services for the better living of a fulfilling life as humans. The apps still provide meaningful, timely, and on-demand results in most areas of the medical industry.
It would be great to see how the development of more apps would influence the by using A.I. We can only hope this will be the result.
The shift to using technology in medicine creates a hope of achieving global healthcare for all, regardless of their financial background. By narrowing down the cost of services and making them easily available. The human race continues to grow, and providing solutions to everyday problems allows for better living.
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