Medical Design Briefs - March 2023 - 32

Medical App Development: Top 3 mHealth Solutions
Understand the options
and characteristics of app
development.
iTransition
Lakewood, CO
Medical mobile applications have
gained popularity during the pandemic.
mHealth apps helped with early detection,
fast screening, patient monitoring,
information sharing, education, and
treatment. Thanks to vaccination and
other preventive measures, the pandemic
has subsided. Will use of medical applications
continue to increase or will adoption
slow down?
According to Grand View Research,
consumer interest in medical applications
hasn't faded away yet. In 2021,
more than 350,000 health applications
were available in app stores. Valued at
$38.2 billion, the mHealth apps market
is expected to expand at a CAGR of
11.8 percent from 2022 to 2030.1 What
are the most viable solutions to develop?
This article presents some guidelines
for medical app development.
n Medical App Development:
Choosing a Solution
The first task is to choose the type of
app to develop. Here you need to understand
what options are at your disposal
and explore their characteristics.
Wellness Apps. Wellness apps are not
directly related to medicine. They comprise
different solutions, from activity
trackers to meditation apps. This category
of mHealth apps is considered the
most popular.
For example, Statista reports that in
2022, Americans aged 18-60 invested in
such solutions, and nutrition apps (with
43 percent) became the leader. Somewhat
behind them are sleep-tracking
apps (34 percent) and meditation apps
(31 percent).2
So how to make such applications
successful? First, it is important to have
a solid understanding of the target audience,
their needs, and the problems
they face. In the case of wellness apps,
for example, the key user is an economically
stable person who is mindful
of their health and wellness. The only
32
mHealth apps helped with early detection, fast screening, patient monitoring, information sharing, education, and
treatment. (Credit: Kaspars Grinvalds/AdobeStock)
thing lacking is extra time. So, to help
users meet their personal goals with
no additional time investment, the app
must be equipped with a handy analytics
solution.
To fuel user interest and engagement,
the app might include a competitive
spirit - launch some challenges divided
into tasks. For all solved challenges, users
get a thematic badge as a reward.
As the app hosts personal data, developers
must pay attention to information
security. Developers should set up
multi-factor authentication and ensure
end-to-end data encryption.
Therapeutic Apps. The other subtype
of mHealth apps is therapeutic
apps. Therapeutic app solutions help
patients manage their diseases or conditions
effectively and at a moderate
cost. These apps are often aimed at
mental disorders like anxiety, depression,
eating disorders, post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD), and other mental
health issues.
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As for the efficacy of such solutions,
opinions differ. Some clinicians believe
these apps are useless, while others
say that using an app is better than
not getting treatment altogether.
Nevertheless, the American Psychiatric
Association (APA) takes these
apps seriously. APA researchers developed
the app evaluation model to help
mental health practitioners choose an
app for themselves and their patients.
The APA model evaluates app safety
and privacy and scientific evidence
for its efficacy. It also evaluates user
friendliness and interoperability.
Another promising field for therapeutic
apps is physiotherapy. Many mobile apps
have been developed to facilitate home
training for patients and exercise monitoring
for doctors. Such apps make use of the
camera and mobile device sensors.
Some mHealth apps also employ AI
to deliver an immersive experience to
patients. Physiotherapeutic apps also offer
features that foster patient-provider
Medical Design Briefs, March 2023

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Medical Design Briefs - March 2023

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