IT has always been an integral part of healthcare. Hospitals, nursing homes and clinics have made use of software and web apps with which they can maintain records of basic activities like appointments, patient records, medical supplies, etc. But now it requires reinvention to match the scalability of its growing scopes. Healthcare is the most vastly impacted sector of the pandemic and its ripples have been felt globally.
It has entirely changed the landscape of healthcare. Today, you not only get to purchase medicines online, but also get online consultation with doctors across the globe. You install an app, keep your phone while working out and it becomes capable of recording your vitals during workout. Automation technologies combined with development tools have resulted into some sleek healthcare mobile applications which are widely affecting thousands of lives every day.
This industry is becoming more consumer-centric and data-driven. Smart IT solutions in healthcare are serving as driving factors towards its overall growth. This is supported by data published by Fortune Business Insights according to which the global mobile health app market is estimated to reach around $314.60 with 34.8% CAGR by 2028.
So the time is indeed right to invest in mHealth apps but of course, with the right ideas. In this article, we discuss top 12 healthcare startup app ideas which can prove beneficial in terms of usage, future scopes and revenue generation.
1. Personal Medical Record Keeper
A personal medical record keeping application is similar to a routine-journal where one can maintain their prescriptions, test reports, list of medicines and doctor appointments. In short, a personal medical record keeping app will enable patients to upload and update their medical history.
You can invest in this genre and can make it more enticing by offering added functionalities. For instance, allow patients to directly share their medical records with hospitals or with doctors during online consultation. Such apps are going to be extremely helpful for patients who find it hard to keep the paperwork together.
2. Drug Information
Consumers of the modern times are information-oriented. With advancements in the medical fields, patients too are becoming advanced regarding information, uses and dosage of drugs. Drug information applications can serve as valuable assets to patients by giving them access to required information.
Starting from composition and basic ingredients to advantages and side effects, all the aspects must be covered. Besides generic drugs, one should also include health supplements and herbal medicines. The better the drug database, the better chances it has to succeed.
3. Health Guide for Lifestyle Diseases
Diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol, hypertension, obesity – the list of lifestyle diseases affecting people have become long, courtesy today’s erratic lifestyle. WHO published an article in 2021 in which it was reported that non-communicable diseases are responsible for the death of 41 million people each year and 77% of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
Hence, mHealth apps which offer proper guidance on these problems can hit it off with end users. But, one needs to come up with some unique attributes to help control the diseases. You can offer diets, exercises, natural remedies, and even one-to-one interactive sessions of users with experts so that they can have their personal queries cleared.
4. Women Healthcare
Women healthcare is a niche segment that has garnered quite the attention. Women nowadays are equally devoted to their career. They have to take care of household chores too. No wonder women healthcare apps are in demand. Be it workouts, nutrition, reproductive cycles, personal hygiene or sleep cycles, women need to take extra care as they bear the responsibility of nurturing life inside them.
A well-designed and well-entailed app can go a long way in becoming their personal favourite. Turn your app practically into a virtual health assistant through which they can find anything related to their health. Be it oral contraceptive pills or effects of alcohol on menstrual cycle, try and broaden your aspect as much as possible.
5. Pregnancy Special
Pregnancy, early, right or late, has always been a scary and confounding topic for women. They have thousands of questions running on in their minds until and unless they actually get to pass through it. That’s the reason why an app dedicated to pregnancy can be a good investment idea. Right from period tracking facilities to the do’s and don’ts during pregnancy, include everything. You should list down all disorders that a woman can confront during pregnancy.
Make them aware of the complications, pregnancy tests, how they are done and natural remedies to reduce common pregnancy ailments. To make your app more effective, merge it with location-based services as the laws of tests vary in different countries. You can also enlist emergency contact numbers and clinics that can be contacted during an emergency.
6. Medical-condition Based Workout Programs
Workout mobile applications are a thriving genre of the healthcare industry. While there are multiple fitness apps which offer step-by-step guidance to good health, sharp features and toned body, there is still a vacancy in the genre of apps that offer workout programs based on medical conditions of people. Not everyone has perfect vitals, especially people suffering from lifestyle diseases.
Designing an app that helps people find the right exercises for their medical conditions can help you stand out in the crowd. This might gain traction faster than you expected as COVID-affected patients are being diagnosed with one or other ailment. Do carry out a thorough analysis as it will enable you to cater to specific fitness requirements.
7. Medical Supplies Price Comparison
There is neck-to-neck competition between medical suppliers, even on online deliveries of medicines. Every other store comes up with discounts and offers. Price comparison apps will help patients to make wise decisions based on real-time comparisons and will help them save money. They can look up at cost prices and the rates being offered by different stores in their localities or on online stores.
Once the user searches with the name of the drug, the app should instantly show its price at different stores. However, if you wish to make it more effective, you might want to combine it with geolocation and AI as it will help you personalize offers and customize alerts.
8. Mental Health Awareness
A news release of WHO in March 2022 reported that COVID has triggered a 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide. Workplace pressure, social factors, clinical reasons – several factors contribute to disrupting the mental wellbeing of a person. Good news is that it can be treated with medications, guidance, and meditation and counselling.
Building an app that spreads awareness about mental health can be a boon to you and to those who are seeking help. The app can entail causes, effects, cure, prevention and disorders related to mental health. One can also imbibe locations and contacts of clinics and chambers where patients suffering from depression can find immediate help.
9. Nutrition Management
Nutrition department of healthcare is experiencing seismic changes owing to the fact that people are becoming more conscious about their calorie intake. A huge chunk of the population worldwide is turning towards better living and diet forms a major part. Giving them an app which offers them sound information on various nutrients sounds like a good idea.
A nutrition management app can at least put a person in the right path by offering them guidance on eating right, customized diets and of course, a huge food database. If done right, it can indeed turn into a profitable venture.
10. AR/VR Induced Medical Training
For experienced surgeons, nurses and even medical professors, AR/VR induced medical training app shall prove rewarding. With distance education in trend, more and more professionals are looking forward to having their own applications filled with their own unique customized content.
AR/VR induced medical training apps will act as a win-win situation for both learners and educators. While the former gets knowledge and leverage of learning from highly experienced professionals, the latter gets revenues.
11. Medical Translation
At the first glance, medical translation looks like an offbeat notion, but on a second thought, one can relate to its importance. As mHealth apps gain popularity, their customer base starts increasing which include patients from foreign countries. Therefore, a medical translation app can become quite useful for both medical practitioners and their patients.
It will help practitioners to comprehend the issues of patients, and patients in turn will be able to get through the instructions more clearly. Using technologies like Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing will enhance the overall functionality of the app.
12. Health Reminder
Many might question the relevance of health reminder apps as smartphones already come with their own reminder app. But there’s a huge difference between a typical health reminder and a built-in one. Health reminder apps can have more uses than just reminding patients to take medications on time.
It can be used to alert them about dosage change, to take doctor’s appointments, remind them about upcoming appointments and even jot down important instructions. Developers can upgrade such apps with AI as that will automate repetitive tasks and will reduce manual input.
Conclusion
These were some simple yet significant healthcare app ideas for start-ups. However, one still has to take the heat of growing competitiveness in the healthcare industry. So before venturing into an mHealth app, one should remember that this industry calls for change and rapid reinvention.
Generic apps become more effective by implementing automated IT solutions for healthcare. Geolocation, ML, AI, AR and VR can act as means of improvisation and unlock new mediums to maximize profits. Hire professional app designers and developers as they understand the changing structure of the IT world and can help you to augment your healthcare app by integrating it with the most suitable technologies.