Doctor Appointment Apps: An Overview

The pandemic showed us how vulnerable the healthcare system is globally, especially in the United States.

People relied on their smartphones to get doctor appointments from the comfort of their homes without risking their lives. From a technological perspective, this caused a sudden boom in telemedicine apps. The world of technology and medicine synergized together long ago, but the pandemic is where it peaked.

Keep reading as we discuss businesses should stay ahead and invest in telemedicine and doctor appointment booking apps.

Market Research

It is an underrated sector that is on exponential growth right now with the inclusion of technological practices in the healthcare world. In 2016, appointment booking apps became a reality from a concept; it took time to pick pace.

If we look at the numbers, a staggering $400 million increase was noticed throughout the 2016-2022 period. The numbers from before and after the pandemic are different. Now, we can see an upscale graph.

Predictions say that the global telemedicine market will be worth around $650 million or more, and you can get a headstart by acting on the potential right now.

And there is a demand. Leading market research companies concluded that over 69% of consumers prefer appointment apps with on-demand functionality built on user experience.  

Features to Include

The features you include will define the overall structure of the app and how patients navigate. Ideally, you should ideally start off with basic features and see how the feedback is. Here is a general guideline on what to include:

●    Smart Search

●    Doctor Credentials

●    Booking an appointment and managing them

●    Push notifications (Alerts)

This is from an end-user perspective where the patient is prioritized, but more or less – this is what the features list should look like. Additionally, you can include multiple payment gateways and a quick go-to button in case of patient emergencies.

Steps to Follow: Doctor Appointment Apps

Although app development is a long and detailed process and you will need to hire an Android developer that understands project requirements and what the healthcare industry entails – here’s what different phases will look like:

A step-by-step walkthrough:

1. Consumer research, knowing what patients and healthcare people want
2. Choose a well-enough app development company in NYC
3. UX/UI design where the navigational objectives are defined
4. Meeting security standards
5. Launching a minimum viable product (MVP)
6. Processing to the final stage and initiating the quality assurance (QA) phase
7. Launching a fully-fledged product and relying on feedback

This is a summed-up version and a rough idea of the app development process. It’s better to stay prepared and know what will happen; no unexpected initiatives will occur.

Final Thoughts

Remember that the telemedicine industry has little to no room for error. In case of a mishap, there are lives at stake; the worst-case scenario would be a lawsuit against your business.

But that is unlikely to happen once all the objectives are defined, and you follow a step-by-step digital product release strategy. Digital transformations are underway, and telemedicine is the future – eventually defining how we go to a doctor and get a diagnosis.