The Proliferation of Medical Apps

Medical Applications or their slimmed down cousins known as apps are exploding all over the internet.

The ability of medical professionals to get together with app designers and build useful, clinical applications that can actually aid in the diagnosis and monitor the treatment of diseases, etc. is astounding. While there are still many general applications that simply list symptoms or act more as a resource; with the maturation and development of app markets, we are finally beginning to see complete software applications that behave like apps, yet provide more useful real life clinical functions.

Applications like AirStrip are showing that as we move forward doctors and hospitals both see the benefits of the app nature of software. The benefits of applications that reside on mobile devices or that are accessible via the cloud are finally beginning to crack the locked down and isolated silos of medical IT structures.

Easy to Deploy
Medical apps are incredibly easy to deploy … as a matter of fact since the apps reside on a physician’s mobile device, they can be easily managed and installed according to the user’s need. In the future perhaps each organization will have an approved list of apps, allowing the doctors to pick and choose which ones they require.

Mobile
Apps are meant to be smaller and more portable in the sense that you no longer need a full PC to run the application. This coupled with the fact that smartphones are becoming increasingly more powerful has allowed developers to isolate key functionality from software applications and apply them to a smaller package. This lets users receive and use their information on the go, from a device that everyone carries around, allowing doctors to be connected even when not at his/her office.

Always up to date
The final key benefit of apps and cloud based software is that it is always up to date. As new devices, functionality, or bug fixes are released, they become automatically available to the users. No longer do users have to wait for the IT department to download and install the update, instead the doctor is simply notified and can install the software themselves. In the case of cloud based software, most of the upgrades are on the backend letting the developers upload the changes eliminating the need for the user to carry out the update process.

As devices become more powerful, and as organizations begin to see and embrace the benefits of apps, I believe the functionality of the medical apps will become more and more advanced allowing for users to perform all their duties, monitor situations, or make diagnoses while remaining mobile.

(for a study that looks at the accuracy of apps in diagnosis click here)