Electronic Health Reporter

By Harnil Oza, CEO, Hyperlink InfoSystem.

Today, the level at which the vast majority of us place our reliance on mobile devices for the completion of so many of our tasks every day, even some of the more complex and daunting tasks, has risen so high. All over the globe, so many users from every field now increasingly make use of their tablets and smartphones for their highest of multitasking abilities and their effectiveness.

Decades ago, physicians, paramedics and other healthcare providers had to rely on costly medical equipment to assist their patients in moments of emergencies. But with the significant advancement that has been recorded in the mobile app market of today, perhaps all of these things have changed. The vast majority of medics and paramedics today now make use of very easy-to-use, data-driven and less expensive mobile gadgets and the medical mobile apps that are found in them.

As a result of the fact that everyone of us make use of mobile devices on a daily basis, having to learn the method in which a particular medical mobile app can be employed is not going to consume too much time for a skilled paramedic or medic. A well-established, well-tested medical mobile app also offers rather accurate results; therefore, for physicians who are on the move at all times, this could be a very useful innovation.

As a result of the significant impacts of medical mobile apps in the healthcare system of today, many mobile app developers are working to develop even more medical mobile apps. However, there are still many challenges that these mobile app developers encounter while developing these apps. Below are some of these issues, and how they can be surmounted.

Predictability of results is not always accurate

No matter the level at which a mobile app developer attempts to develop an infallible medical mobile app, there is no way she or he can be utterly certain that it would be completely free of trouble, unless and until it has, as a matter of fact, been developed and sent to a specific mobile platform. There is a phase in which the app would be tested. In the course of this testing phase, specific issues may crop up, and that is the time the main trouble will come up, while attempting to solve the problem.

Unavailability of life-saving app

The immense usefulness of medical apps has been acknowledged by the United States Food and Drug Administration. As a matter of fact, research points out that there is a large number of users of smartphones who are making use of mobile apps in mobile healthcare. The number, according to research, was projected to hit a greatly surprising 500,000,000, by the end of the year 2015. But despite this development, no mobile app developer can ever lay claims to develop a life-saving app. While the apps available are efficient at testing a particular condition, they do not have the capability of granting relief to a patient that is critically ill. In addition to that, there might have been some technical irregularities or malfunction during the process of developing the app, or during its testing phase. As a result of this, such an app may be risky for use to patients.

Mobile Platforms Fragmentation

Another big challenge that developers of mobile apps encounter is the range of operating systems and mobile devices in the mobile market of today. Issues like this are hard to confront, but there are some other problems that exist. They include problems regarding network connectivity, standardization of mobile design, and so forth. Also, the development of an app for different mobile devices with mobile features that are different can come as a big challenge to the mobile app developer. Other challenges include making a choice on the ideal mobile platform or platforms and cross-platform formatting. All of these issues can pose even tougher problems for the app developer. All of these challenges may jointly lead to a medical app that is not completely effective or does not meet the requirements of the end user.

The aforementioned three issues are huge challenges confronting medical mobile app developers. The good news, however, is that these challenges can be overcome. Therefore, the question is, how can medical mobile app developers overcome these challenges? The first thing a medical mobile app developer must do is to take enough time in completely examining the app before submitting it to the internet app marketplace. Although this might become as expensive, it is always the best decision to take. Reserving that additional amount in the budget is better than compromising on the quality of the app, which may in turn lead to the loss of the trust of the customer.

Making a choice on the ideal mobile platform and mobile device is very important to the overall prosperity of the medical mobile app. This is very important for the medical mobile app developer to think about, and clearly spell out his or her plan before finally developing the medical mobile app.

Generally, it is almost invariably impossible to predict the availability of a mobile network. As a result of this, there is only a little that a mobile app developer can do in this case. In a situation whereby the network is too jammed or congested, it is inescapable for the end-user to experience difficulty in the process of connection. In a situation such as this, the major way through this problem can be solved is by offering the end-user a wide range of network connectivity options.

By way of conclusion, the first thing to bear in mind when attempting to develop a medical mobile app is the end user. The users are the ultimate reasons for developing any mobile app. The experience and feedback that is received from the user is the major determinant of the success of the mobile app in the increasingly competitive marketplace. As a result of this, all of the aspects mentioned in the article must be well understood by the medical mobile app developer, and careful planning beforehand will play a huge role in reducing the level of risks that is going to be encountered. In addition to that, this will make it possible for the medical mobile app developer to develop a mobile app that is not only good, but also effective for patients, physicians, paramedics and all of those who