Building a Great Telemedicine Website: A Simple Guide
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, our view on healthcare has changed. In the face of a global health crisis, the number of people who have chosen to use remote healthcare services has significantly increased. Even now, many continue to rely on telehealth and virtual consultations for their non-urgent medical needs. This shift was unexpected, but proved to be a necessary adaptation. The world has changed, and the medical field had to adjust to the new situation.
The growing demand for online medical services has led to an increase in the development of new platforms and apps. This is why almost every telemedicine website development company is keeping busy. But how do developers make sure their platform is good enough for patients and medical staff? Let’s take a closer look at the key features that make a telehealth website successful.
How To Build a Great Telemedicine Website?
According to a report by Accenture, 77% of patients consider easily accessible care more important than in-person visits. Hence, it is not surprising that so many are turning to remote health for their less urgent medical needs. Telemedicine platform developers continue to work on building reliable and user-friendly websites and apps, but not all of them end up being successful.
Several important factors need to be considered when building a great telemedicine website. While the order of importance may vary depending on the unique needs of the target audience, some key features are essential. We will go over a few of them.
EMR Integration
We are fully in the digital age, and so is the healthcare industry. Allowing your telemedicine app or website to be integrated with electronic medical records (EMR) can change the way patient care is delivered by minimizing the paper trail and streamlining document-related processes.
Giving medical professionals access to patient charts, medical histories, and past prescriptions allows them to make more informed decisions and react more quickly and accurately to patient needs. This seamless integration can also improve communication between healthcare providers and patients, as it ensures that all relevant information is easily accessible by both parties and up-to-date. The patient won’t need to worry about providing the same information multiple times, and the medical staff will be able to efficiently coordinate care immediately thanks to the instant availability of the data.
Remote Patient Monitoring
This feature is growing in popularity as it allows for continuous monitoring of user’s health and can provide valuable data to medical professionals. Additionally, it is convenient for patients, as they can receive medical care and recommendations in the comfort of their homes without the need to visit the clinic or hospital in person.
Integration with smart devices, such as wearables, can entice patients to engage more with their healthcare and stay connected with their doctors. Deloitte estimates that up to 440 million units of wearable health-related devices will be shipped in 2024, highlighting the trend towards patient monitoring technology. It can be leveraged by custom medical software development companies to create innovative solutions that will include the ability to track health data via the widely popular lightweight gadgets.
User-Friendly Design
Regardless of the user’s degree of technical proficiency or physical ability, developers should take extra care to make sure that their platform is easy to use and navigate, especially in the case of health-related apps. Features such as voice-to-text, high contrast mode, and a clear, concise layout are essential, as they can make the website more accessible to a wider range of users.
Any web development services company working on patient-facing platforms should prioritize user-friendly design to ensure their product is intuitive, easy to use, and accessible to everyone. The fundamental goal should be to create a seamless user experience that encourages people to engage with the platform and, therefore, take greater care of their health.
Compliance With Industry Regulations
Healthcare apps and platforms have to adhere to special compliance regulations to ensure the security and privacy of patient information. Laws are constantly being changed and adjusted, so it is crucial to always keep your telemedicine website up to date with all the latest standards to maintain trust in your services. This includes regulations such as HIPAA in the United States, which is absolutely essential if you want your telemedicine platform to be trusted by patients and healthcare providers alike.
Failure to comply with all the regulatory and legal requirements can result in substantial fines, lawsuits, and loss of trust. Such situations can deal a significant blow to the credibility of a whole telemedicine website development company, so you need to prioritize keeping your platform compliant.
Different Communication Modes
Do not make the mistake of only allowing users to communicate through one specific mode, like a video chat. By making sure that your platform supports various communication modes, such as instant messaging, 1-on-1 calls, and text chats, you make your platform available to a wider range of users with different preferences and needs.
This flexibility can positively affect user satisfaction, and it is absolutely crucial in the case of telemedicine services, where users want to communicate in a way that is most comfortable for them. Additionally, offering multiple communication modes can also improve accessibility for users with disabilities who may have specific needs or preferences.
More Recommendations for Building a Great Telemedicine Platform
It is never an easy task to develop a successful product, but if you take enough care about user expectations, data security, and privacy concerns, you will be on the right track.
You should remember that a telemedicine platform is not just another tech tool but something more: it is a valuable service that can directly impact the way healthcare services work. It can improve, through enabling remote consultations and monitoring, the accessibility and efficiency of medical help. Build trust and credibility, offer a clear, easy-to-use interface, and ensure seamless communication, and you will be well on your way to creating a new, valuable telemedicine solution.
