Why is an on-demand appointment app for doctors and patients important in a post-COVID 19 world?

Aug. 20

2.26 K

VIEWS

The COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting lives and changing cultures and economies around the world. Although the global medical community is battling for effective vaccines and drugs, the strongest protection is the commitment to public health initiatives, such as personal hygiene and social distancing.

We used to stand in long queues and wait for our turn before, but it’s not the case after COVID-19. But all thanks to the doctor appointment app which will help the patients to maintain the norms of the pandemic.

Some vital stats of the growth of the Doctor Appointment App:

Since 2017, nearly 1.7 billion smartphone users have a healthcare app which makes up half of the world’s total smartphone users.

Healthcare apps are being used by more than 80 percent of physicians.

According to the Markets & Markets, digital healthcare apps have grown massively and predicted the annual growth rate in 2021 is likely going to increase by 16%.

Benefits of an Doctor Appointment App

From Doctors side:

1. Help understanding as well as optimize their efficiency

2. Could manage the scheduling easily

3. Avoid the over-booking of appointments of patients

4. Could get the performance report in a week or a month

From Patients side:

1. Access from home if the doctor can help via a video

2. Could schedule your time anywhere

3. Can communicate with the team with the help of chatbot

4. One tap payment (Cashless Transaction)

Why is an on-demand appointment app for doctors and patients important?

Enhance the reach of a doctor:

As we all know online marketing is more beneficial than offline marketing, likewise if a doctor comes into the online market then the reach of his/her patients will increase. Also, it gives their patients to choose the best doctor in their neighborhood.
Authentication of a Doctor:

When someone runs an offline clinic, you can’t know if the doctor is genuine or not. But on the online platform, you can connect with board-certified verified physicians and doctorate-level therapists.
Benefits to the Doctors:

Gives multiple benefits to the doctor to enroll into the application like simpler payments, better reach, enhanced visibility, etc.
Promotional Offers:

To increase the number of patients, promote the application by providing discounts to new users and existing patients on the next consultation visit for referring the app to others.
Make the best use of the digital technology market:
- Multiple payment modes: Google Money, Paypal, eWallets, etc.
- Push notification: Push.io, Twilio
- Database: Mailchimp, Hbase, MongoDB
- In-app calling and chat: Twilio, Nexmo
- Cloud Save: Google Cloud, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Factors that should be included while a doctor appointment app development:

Use the integration of Social Media:
While logging in or creating an account in the app, the user should get the feature to integrate with social media network accounts which will make the login simpler and faster.
Instant Email and SMS notification:
An instant e-mail and SMS alert should be sent to the patient and doctor regarding appointment booking or cancellation or postponing. This will help the doctor to keep records of any cancellation or postponement so that the empty slot could be allotted to some other person.
Referral codes:
This is just like other apps where you suggest your friend or family member install the app to book doctors appointments with a referral code and you will get a discount as they use the app once.

We are living in a world that on demand services & appointment booking can save time & resources. We have been fortunate enough to work in this healthcare app development industry. In countries like Canada , UK or USA where healthcare workers are in shortage. Every single minute of the healthcare worker is important. Creating a policy for doctor appointment booking app in public health care or private healthcare is crucial.