New digital health products are providing more insight into data and the opportunity for real-time patient interaction.
Consumers today expect technological benefits such as personalisation, control, and convenience in their Pharmaceutical health services, as we now have more access than ever to health information.
Pharmacies are well on their way to becoming wellness centres, an evolution due to changes in both the healthcare system and the consumer profile. New technologies and innovative, patient-centric healthcare mobile applications can aid this transformation.
In all areas, including health care services, digitally empowered consumers are taking greater control of their health and are seeking more personalisation, openness, and convenience.
For this purpose, with its new ways of communicating with the consumer and taking care of the consumer journey, the pharmacy should learn from Fast-moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) companies to pioneer in services and establish strategies that attract traffic to the drugstore and foster a long-term partnership.
The concept of the consumer journey, in our case, patient journey, is an important practice for understanding and predicting the needs of the consumer on how they travel with the brand or institution through various touchpoints. Those movements where buying choices are made by the new consumer, breaking from the conventional linear model of consciousness, interest, desire and action.
New consumers are increasingly used to using mobile apps and wearables, especially when they need to monitor their health status continuously, such as diabetics or those with high blood pressure.
New technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics are becoming commonplace. We discuss this at length in this article.
Mobile Technology as a Diagnostic Tool
Smartphones have now been converted into diagnostic instruments for point-of-care, taking mobile health far beyond numerous educational tools and health apps.
Testing for certain diseases and infections is another important area of mobile health. This can enable early detection of different chronic conditions, including diabetes and some forms of cancer.
The use of smartphones and digital devices also facilitates a more patient-centred approach. Patient care is being improved through the use of mobile digital health technology by introducing better ways of monitoring and diagnosing conditions, making care timelier and more holistic.
Real-Time Prescription Monitoring
One of the major interventional strategies in medicine is Pharmacotherapy. However, common challenges experienced by patients when taking medications, is integrating them into the daily routine, understanding their effects and side effects, and monitoring outcomes.
In this context, it’s critical to find a reliable medication management tool which can adapt to the patient’s needs. As most people have a mobile phone, mobile apps offer a platform for such a personalised support tool available.
There is a secure real time prescription monitoring website for example, called DORA, that allows prescribers and pharmacists to access information about controlled medicines dispensed from pharmacies for ACT patients.
Behaviour Modification Apps
Mental health issues have become a foremost public health challenge. People with mental health issues find it difficult achieving their daily tasks such as work and study. As result, many of them are using digital applications to support their mental health and improve life quality. More than 10,000 mental health and wellness apps are available for download and use online. The pervasive design of smartphones and other mobile handheld devices affects the lives of consumers by introducing new facets to the idea of socialisation, action and the development of new behaviours. Smartphones are also appealing tools for the delivery of interventions by researchers.
Mobile applications are used to provide treatments to deliver interventions targeting various health issues. Specifically for mental wellbeing problems, Roepke et al. (2015) and Arean et al. (2016) illustrated in their studies that mobile-based mental health intervention had a significant effect on depressed mood reduction.
Mental health apps can act effectively as support resources by applying different persuasive techniques to improve, alter or shape the actions and/or behaviours of users, which can also motivate and inspire users to continue using the apps to achieve improved mental health.
Cost reduction
Cost savings is another significant benefit of mobile health technology. At a fraction of the price of more conventional models, widely used smartphones can be customised to include health components.
Using a mobile, which also allows numerous advanced procedures available to broader populations, a few dollars will now be enough to conduct a medical examination.
Also contributing to closing the digital and health gap is the expanded availability of medical procedures, coupled with free or discounted phone applications.
How quantum computing can improve healthcare systems
The use of quantum computing is being embraced by the healthcare industry to promote patient-centric care for healthcare consumers.
82% surveyed Pharma companies believe quantum computing will impact the industry within the next decade.
Implementing quantum computing and healthcare systems offers hardware solutions that can allow the healthcare industry to be highly successful in diagnosing and treating complex medical conditions.
Quantum computing presents an improved alternative to conventional machines that operate on binary systems in the digital world. Quantum computers run on quantum mechanics, which, without the need for massive hardware structures, makes them much quicker than traditional computers.
Quantum computing can also assist computers to do faster processing and cope with more complex issues. Quantum computing’s ability to usher in the fourth industrial revolution is pressuring technology giants to commercialise quantum computing.
But then the question arises: will quantum computing’s faster processing ability be advantageous to the healthcare industry? It can be, of course, and in several different ways, too.
Based on a variety of patient characteristics such as age, comorbidities, gender, co-medications, and genetic make-up, the combination of quantum computing and health care may help clinicians decide the treatment best suited for a patient.
Quantum computing can enhance healthcare services in many other ways, in addition to deciding the right treatment.
Top 6 Pharmaceutical Apps:
1. MedAdvisor – Order Medications, Get Pill Reminders
2. Epocrates – Drug/Disease Clinical Support
3. MedicineWise – Medication Management Tool
4. myPharmacyLink – Direct access to your pharmacist
5. Pocket Pharmacist – Pharmacist Curated Drug Info
6. MPR – all-in-one drug information resource
If you’re inspired and ready to create your own pharmaceutical app, let us build your idea.
The future of HealthTech
There is great potential for mobile apps, but there is still plenty of space for development to completely optimise their potential benefit. It has become important to enhance the design processes with the increasing use of digital health apps, so applications can be simple to use while also having the desired impact on the consumer.
Mobile health is a vital piece of the narrative of digital health and is continually changing to ensure that important problems are addressed. The needs of patients should be deemed a top priority in emerging medical models. In our own healthcare, we continue to become more dedicated partners and mobile health offers the requisite resources to ensure that this trend continues.
Every aspect of pharmacy practice is transformed by digital health technology, whether it deploys robotics to fill prescriptions, uses analytics to control drug data, or provides access to digital therapy.
Pharmacists use newly developed technologies in both hospital and retail environments to avoid adverse drug effects, control the use of antibiotics, alter unsafe actions, and encourage adherence to medication.
Through automating routine tasks, not only can technology make a pharmacist’s day more efficient, but new digital health products provide more insight into data and the potential for patient interaction in real time.
We prepared an infographic for your understanding of the current situation within HealthTech, more specifically TeleHealth.
At Appello we pride ourselves in developing cost effective, custom built mobile applications, tailored to your specific business practices and management needs. Contact us today.
Keywords: HealthTech, Pharma, mobile applications, digital health technology, technologies, medication, pharmacist, pharmacy, wellness, mobile health, health and wellness, Digital Transformation
