Everything You Need to Know About iOS App Development in the Healthcare Sector

We no longer live in an era where we have to visit places physically to get things done. Covid has taught us that everything can be done through mobile apps. Plenty of people have shifted to mobile apps for their day-to-day tasks and it has made their life easy and simple. A similar change is also evident in the healthcare sector as well. Patients had to wait in line for their number in the hospital.

Now, appointments can be booked online, and waiting time is curtailed. Online consulting has also become a popular thing these days. Medicines are also delivered at home with iOS applications. Visiting hospitals can be avoided in several things. Most of the things can be done online.

According to Statista, the number of healthcare and medical apps available on the Apple App Store as of Q1 of 2022 is 51,370. Compared to the previous quarter, it has risen by 4%.    

Also, the market share of health & fitness apps is 4.71% and the market share of medical apps is 2.43% according to Statista.

Based on the above data, it is proved that iPhone apps are highly preferred and used by people. It is definitely the right industry and correct time for iPhone app development. However, it is not smart to indulge in your dream project and also an expensive one without proper research and basic knowledge. Don’t worry! Dive in and read the full blog and by the end of it, you will be a healthcare app development expert. (Expert with the knowledge, leave the development to the experienced ones)

Features to Have in an iOS Application For Health Apps

Before you consult any iPhone app development company, it is important to know the trending features you must need for the app. Here are some of the best features you must not miss out on.

1) Signup/Login

With this feature, the user can register to the app through an email id or phone number. The users can also login with their social media accounts like Facebook or LinkedIn. The process of signing up should not be lengthy and complicated as it will irritate your users and make them drive away. So, keep your registration short, sweet, and simple. Think properly about what information is actually needed and avoid unnecessary questions.

2) Book Appointments For Consultation

This feature is one of the most popular and basic ones. This feature is very useful to the users. The app helps in finding the doctor of their choice and booking an appointment online with them. This will save their time of going in advance, noting down the name., and then waiting in a long queue for the turn.

With an iOS application, the patients can know the doctors visiting time, book appointments at that time, and also set reminders for it. This is beneficial for both patients as well as doctors. Doctors can also know about their number of appointments and the upcoming ones as well. Make booking stress-free with a mobile app.

3) Consultation through Online Chatting

With this feature, patients can ask their queries to the doctors. They can chat about their medical condition, improvements, and complaints. They can also make suggestions about whether to continue medication or any change in diet. Online consultation saves patients time and effort of traveling to the hospital. A required doctor or nurse can know about the patient’s condition and prescribe further treatment accordingly. Simple text or voice notes can be used for online consultation.

4) Reminders & Notifications

Patients can set reminders that will notify them to take medicines on time. It will also remind me if it is time for a regular health checkup. Reminders will help you to stay on track with your medicines.

5) Personal Coach

If the user sets any fitness goal, the iPhone application can help achieve that goal. The coach can help you with your diet and nutrition. They can also guide you with the exercises to do. You can also consult with the coach and clear any doubts you have.

Say, for example, 360 Degree Technosoft has developed the Healthy Nutrition Tracker app (Add Live Link), where users can set goals, chat with an expert coach, and get diet and nutrition plans.

6) Video Calls

Having a feature of video calling enables users to have real-time communication with doctors. This helps the patients residing out of the city or even country to get timely care without having to wait long. It gives your iOS app added convenience for your patients. Medicines can be prescribed through the iPhone application only. Users just have to go to the medical store and get the medicines.

7) Doctors & Patients’ Profile

One of the must-have features of a health app development is the doctor and patient’s profile. The Doctors profile includes details like the name of the doctor, years of experience, specialization, consultation charges, visiting charges, address of the clinic, and such details. It gives a basic idea of the doctor and helps in deciding whether they want to consult or not.

The patient’s profile includes details like name, age, gender, medical history, weight, height, and such information. These details will help the doctors to get a quick knowledge of the patient and helps them in prescribing the treatment.

8) Monitoring Health Data

This feature helps in tracking the patient’s health condition like blood pressure, heartbeat, sugar levels, and calorie intake. Monitoring these data on a regular base is extremely important to keep the health on a good track.

9) Location-Based Search

Adding geolocation to the medical app will allow the users to search for the doctors in their area or any particular area they choose. Search base results will improve the app’s popularity in the Apple App Store. Apple Map function can be used to deliver a location-based search to your app.

10) Ratings & Reviews

Patients can add ratings and reviews about the doctor they have consulted. This will help other users to get an idea about the doctors and how effective is their treatment. A doctor with good reviews and ratings will be reliable and trustworthy to visit and consult.

11) Online Payment

Adding multiple payment methods will help the users to pay at their convenience. They can pay through a debit card or credit card or even make payments through UPI. This will enhance their app usage experience.

Also Read: The Ultimate Guide On Telemedicine App Development

Types of Healthcare Applications

There is basically two division for healthcare apps. One is for the healthcare providers and another is for the patients.

Health Apps for Doctors

• Patient monitoring apps
• EHR solutions
• Appointment booking apps
• Clinical assistance apps
• Reference and database apps

Health Apps for Patients

• Nutrition apps
• Reminder apps
• Women health apps
• Mental wellness apps
• Health monitoring apps
• Education & self-diagnosis apps

Cost of Developing iOS Healthcare Application

The cost of iPhone application development is determined by various factors. There is no predetermined fixed cost for the app. Let’s jot down the factors.

iPhone App Development Company You Hire

One of the major factors affecting the cost of the app is the company your hire. If you opt for a company with high experience, an amazing portfolio, having multi-domain expertise, your development cost will be high. The quality of the project will not be compromised when you get work done by the best. You will get amazing iPhone app development services when you hire professionals. On a contrary with newbies, the cost will be low but the output will not be guaranteed.

Features & Functionality

Choice of features affects the cost of development. The number of features and type of features to integrate affect the cost to a great extent. If you are a startup and looking to cut costs, MVP is the best possible way. MVP allows you to develop an app with limited features and test it in the market whether it is working or not. If you decide to go with a full-fledged feature-full app, then it is going to cost high. Also, if you opt for advanced and complex features like AI, ML, AR, and VR, it is going to cost even high.

Category of the App

There are plenty of mobile apps development categories. Each category of the app has its own set of features and functional requirements, design requirements, and security criteria. Say for example if you are working on a health app, it is important that your app is highly secure and data is protected. The medical history of any patient cannot leak through the app.

If it is an enterprise app, only the team of the enterprise will be using the app which means limited users and limited data to store. However, if it is a generic app, it is accessible to everyone which means a plethora of users and data which will cost higher. Hence, the category of the app plays an important role in deciding the cost.

Timeline

Total time invested by the developers in the project is also considered for determining the cost of the project. It is also decided by the number of developers working on the project. The price per hour of the developer is fixed and the overall cost is decided by the total number of hours a developer works on the project. This is applicable when the price per hour model is chosen or you hire a dedicated iOS developer to work on the solution.

Location of iPhone Developers

The rate of iPhone developers varies from location to location. In some locations, the cost of developers is very high whereas, in other locations, the cost of a developer with a similar skill set might be low. Location does affect the budget of the solution.

Maintenance Cost

iPhone app maintenance is costly. If you think your project ends with your app going live in the store, you are mistaken. Maintaining an app is equally important as the development itself. Maintaining the app includes bug fixing, changes as per the user feedback, rolling out the update, and other things. An app well developed but poorly maintained leads to app failure. Post-development, an app needs regular maintenance and upkeep to ensure it is working smoothly without any glitches. Hence, the cost of maintenance is included in the cost of development only.     

Final Words

You might have started reading this blog as a novice but now, you know plenty. So, conduct your proper research, pick a reliable iOS app development company for your healthcare application and turn your sector digital. Check out some of the common questions you might be having at the moment. Also, feel free to ask anything else bothering your mind. Our healthcare development experts will be more than happy to provide a free consultation and clear all your doubts.

FAQs

1) Why is the iOS platform a better fit for health app development?

iPhone app development offers a better return on investment, better security, and global reach for the audience.

2) What is the cost of developing an iPhone app in the healthcare sector?

The cost of developing an iPhone application highly depends on the factors like the experience of the company you hire, the complexity of the app, the features you choose, the timeline, and various other factors.

3) Why should you develop a healthcare application?

Everything has been shifted to digital platforms so why not the healthcare sector. Developing a health app will ease things for both doctors and patients as well.

4) How much time is needed to develop a health application?

The time for developing a  health app is not fixed. It depends on factors like the number of features to integrate, types of features to integrate, the complexity of the project, and the experience of the iPhone app development company you hire.