Businesses in every industry are finding ways to innovate, and improve their performance, with custom mobile apps.
In what seems like a very short span of time, healthcare has moved to the forefront in both usage and innovation.
According to an article on healthworkscollective.com:
- In excess of 97,000 health and fitness apps are now available for mobile devices
- 15 percent of smartphone users 18-29 years old have at least one health app installed
- More than 25 percent of physicians are delivering patient care via medical apps
In recent years, Big Fish has experienced a rise in the number of design and development projects we handle for healthcare companies. Each one stands out and inspires for its own reasons.
Here are three custom healthcare apps we think you’ll find inspiring.
1. Doctor on Demand
The future of basic healthcare is being revolutionized by mobile apps. That’s good news for anyone who is fed up with making appointments weeks in advance, taking time off from work, sitting forever in a waiting room and paying a substantial amount of money for 12 minutes with their doctor.
Doctor on Demand is one of the leaders in the rapidly growing arena of doctor visits via phone, tablet or computer. US-based, board-certified doctors and licensed psychologists are available via their app when you need them, 24/7. Areas of treatment fall into four main categories: Urgent Care, Behavioral Health, Preventive Care and Chronic Care.
Common ailments treated include skin and eye problems, urinary tract infections and minor sports injuries. Emergency services are not available.
Doctor on Demand is also a convenient way to get a second opinion. Set up a call and have a doctor interpret your lab results.
Recognizing that many people today do not have a primary care physician, Doctor on Demand has established Synapse, which provides what they describe as “… a fully integrated solution for virtual primary care.”
To promote its vision of virtual visits forming the foundation basic healthcare, Doctor on Demand partnered with Walmart and the parent company of Mucinex during the most recent flu season.
Consumers who purchased certain products, received an offer for a no-charge video visit via the app with a Doctor on Demand physician.
2. SkinVision
Ever had a mole or other skin irregularity that made you wonder if it was something that required further attention? Your next step was probably to schedule an appointment with a dermatologist and wait and worry until the scheduled time arrived. Amsterdam-based skin cancer screening app SkinVision is changing that.
More than a million people with SkinVision on their Apple or Android smartphones can now speed up the process. Holding the phone next to a lesion, the camera automatically detects the lesion and takes a photo.
Next, the photo is scanned by networks of millions of previously taken photos of skin lesions. Through machine learning, these networks are able to identify whether the user’s lesion represents a high, medium or low risk. The entire process takes 30 seconds and is 96 percent accurate!
Users are encouraged to have the results verified by their physician, but they do so with a very good idea of the severity of their skin issue.
SkinVision has a goal of saving 250,000 lives by 2027. Currently available in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and much of Europe, SkinVision is preparing to enter the US market in 2019. Here’s hoping they hurry up!
3. MyT1DHero
Approximately 1.25 million Americans have type 1 diabetes (T1D), with another 40,000 diagnosed each year. Most new cases are diagnosed in children ages 4-7.
T1D is a chronic disease that can lead to complications affecting major organs including the heart, blood vessels, nerves, eyes and kidneys. There is no cure at this time. Monitoring and care are required throughout every day.
Children rely on their parents and schools to provide the care they need. As the children reach adolescence and approach adulthood, they begin a transition to self-care. That’s where MyT1DHero steps in.
MyT1DHero is actually two separate apps, one for the parents and one for their 10-15-year-old adolescent with T1D. Adolescents are represented by hero avatars on their apps to make using the app more fun.
The adolescent’s blood glucose testing schedule is entered at registration. Each time they enter their blood glucose results into the app, the results are automatically sent to their parent’s app.
When a parent receives the blood glucose report on their app, they are prompted to send positive feedback to their adolescent. The parent app includes pre-written messages to make it easy.
In addition to the positive reinforcement they receive from their parents, adolescents are incented to enter their results on schedule. Each time they enter their results on time they receive points that can be redeemed to update their hero’s avatar with different colors and badges.
MyT1DHero is in its third year of a three-year research program at Michigan State University. The app is currently being tested with families. The guiding force behind MyT1DHero has been an assistant professor in the Department of Advertising + Public Relations whose research focuses on information communication technologies and healthcare. Funding has been provided by the American Diabetes Association.
Diagnosis: Creativity
Different contingents of the healthcare field are embracing creative ways to use mobile apps to make life better for patients and their families.
As you brainstorm about how a custom mobile app can help your organization — whether you’re in healthcare, field services or some other industry — don’t be afraid to get creative. You just might think up something brilliant.
Looking for some creative input for your company’s new app? Contact Big Fish for a commitment-free consultation.
