The coronavirus pandemic has changed day-to-day life. As the crisis has restricted everyone’s movement, people prefer getting food, medicines, groceries, and even electronic items at their doorstep. Even the healthcare sector has witnessed drastic changes. Telemedicine and apps have replaced in-office appointments as people do not wish to travel or be in crowded areas. They are much more careful about adolescents, children, and infants. Thus, pediatricians are offering on-demand pediatrics apps. These applications have two versions, one for the medical professional and the other for patients. Here’re some crucial features that both versions of applications should offer.
1) Version for patients
Patient apps are launched by pediatricians, doctors, healthcare clinics, or government departments.
Search option
The app’s version for patients should always have a search feature. The user should be able to search for a pediatrician by entering the doctor’s name or specialty like a child psychiatrist, physiotherapist, ophthalmologist, or ENT, etc. Put simply; the application should be able to help users find nearby doctors quickly.
Ability to fix an appointment
The most crucial feature that every pediatrician app should have is the option to book an appointment. Users should be able to check the doctor’s schedule and fix an appointment as per their convenience. The appointment should reflect on the patient and the doctor’s version of the application.
Working parents multitask even while at their house these days as most of the professionals work from home. So, the software should have an option to set appointment reminders for the guardians. The feature can help ensure they visit the clinic or make the video call during the planned appointment timeframe.
Video call and in-app chat feature
In most countries, pediatricians prefer discussing the patient’s symptoms and treatment plan on a video call due to the physical distancing norms. Patients are advised to visit urgent care centers or emergency rooms only if the case is critical. So, the video calling feature is crucial. Apps can be designed to work with advanced security features for ensuring encrypted communication.
In-app chat for expert assistance while on the go
In-app chat is another feature that’s necessary for any pediatrician on-demand app. It enables doctors and patients or their parents to interact while on the go. Patients can use it to share medication allergy-related details without waiting for the appointment or video call. The feature works well even if the mobile internet connectivity is poor.
Ordering the prescribed medicines
Rather than visiting a pharmacist, patients appreciate ordering medication online and getting the same delivered at the doorstep. So, integrating the prescription delivery option in the app can help the patient. It can also help in reducing human contact in areas that have a high infection rate.
2) Version for doctors
The doctor’s app helps professionals organize and manage appointments, monitor patient’s health while on the go, and keep track of prescriptions. The following features are significant for ensuring the application can cater to patients looking for urgent care.
Scheduling appointments
Appointments requested from websites, call centers, and patients apps can be rejected or accepted by the professional using the app’s pediatrician version. Doctors can confirm the appointment schedule with patients and mark their virtual calendars accordingly.
Video calling and in-app chat
Like in the patient’s version of the app, the doctor’s version also needs to have a video calling feature. Both can discuss the symptoms and treatment plans without worrying about privacy. With the in-app secured chat feature, doctors can prescribe medicines and send a digital copy of prescription if required. Video calling and chat features play an essential role in keeping patients and doctors connected during the pandemic.
Integration with other apps
The integration with the website ensures all the appointments, queries, and patient information submitted on the web portal is made available in the app for the pediatrician to check. Such integration can ensure no data goes missing even if the admin panel in charge fails to transfer web forms manually.
Besides the website, the app must share data with the patient database consisting of medical history, past appointments, and prescribed medications. The feature enables doctors to check everything on their mobile devices before the face-to-face meeting or video call with the patient.
Stages of development
All the stages of custom mobile app and software development for pediatricians need coordination between the client and the developers’ team. A step-by-step approach needs to be followed to ensure everyone is on the same page.
The first and most crucial step is conducting market analysis for studying the competition. The next step should be developing a proper project plan for the application. Developers and project in-charge representing the doctors should create a list of features they want in the software. Studying existing apps in the market and adding the features that they lack can be a good idea when it comes to USPs.
Once the project plan and set of features are selected, the developer from app development companies uk will be in a position to provide a quote for the project. The budget for such a project needs to be flexible as several unexpected factors, and adding new features at the last moment may take it slightly higher. After discussing the project’s requirements and budget, the team of designers will sign a non-disclosure agreement and create a timeline for various stages of development.
Before creating the actual app, developers create a minimum viable product or prototypes for the application. Once the client approves, engineers start making code for the actual product. The final version should be as per expectations set by the client and designers. So, the quality team checks issues, including bugs, at every stage, and repeats the process until all the features work smoothly on selected devices.
Depending on the popularity and user-percentage for operating systems in the target market, the client can develop iOS, Android, or hybrid mobile apps for business growth.
After handing over designs, wireframes, mockups, access credentials, and database access to the client, the mobile app development company or iPhone applications development company can also assist in submitting the application to Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
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Isha Mathur is a Professional Content Writer at Smart Sight Innovations. Isha holds spectacular skills in the field of technology and has been diving into the field for 4 years. She is always curious to know about technology updates.
