Customization of ready-to-use EHR for individual needs of particular healthcare organizations

Accountable care organizations (ACOs) - groups of healthcare specialists, centers and other providers who render high-quality care to their Medicare patients on a voluntary basis. Activity-based costing (ABC) - an accounting software methodology enabling medical organizations to calculate costs of each case of care provided like hospital, physician, and medication expenses. Admission, discharge, and transfer (ADT) system - one of the four types of the hospital business system that tracks patients’ admissions, transfers, and discharges. Ambulatory EHR systems - software that is applied in outpatient care facilities and smaller practices allowing physicians to collect specific info about each patient and providing a full-fledged medical picture of their personal health records. Ambulatory Medical Record (AMR) - a computer system for collecting, managing, and retrieving EHRs in the outpatient setting. American Academy of Professional Coders (AAPC) - the expert coding training and certification association for medical programmers, billers, compliance and practice managers in the U.S. Apple HealthKit - a platform for maintaining data from health and fitness tools on iOS and making it available to Apple users via the company’s Health app. Patients can authorize sharing of the data with their healthcare providers, which in turn add it to EHRs. Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_(Apple) Apple ResearchKit - an open-source framework that allows specialists to develop apps for medical research. It is integrated with HealthKit providing access to info collected from a variety of app-enabled monitoring devices. Bidirectional Health Information Exchange (BHIE) - a medical info sharing project that allows for two-way PHI data exchanging between the U.S. Department of Defence and the Veterans Health Administration. Business intelligence (BI) apps - software which supports financial and operational aspects of the healthcare system, including contract negotiations, facility management, measurement of resource utilization, and cost analysis. Certification Commission for Healthcare Information Technology (CCHIT) - a voluntary, private sector organization for certifying health IT products, such as EHRs and the networks over which they interact. Clinical intelligence (CI) apps - a software which deals with medical activities like quality improvement, care management, and population health management. Clinical decision support system (CDSS) - a toolkit that analyzes data to enhance decision-making in the clinical workflow. The software assists physicians and health professionals in, for example, applying a particular diagnosis, specific tests or treatments for their patients. ‘[...] decisions that can benefit from DSS include whether or not to undergo surgery, whether or not to undergo a stress test first, whether or not to have an annual mammogram starting at a particular age, or a computed tomography (CT) to screen for lung cancer, whether or not to utilize intensive care support such as a ventilator, chest shocks, chest compressions, forced feeding, strong antibiotics and so on versus care directed to comfort measures only without regard to longevity.’ Justin D. Pearlman, MD, PhD. Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) - an XML-based markup standard to provide an exchange model for clinical documents. Source: researchgate.net/figure/Fragment-of-HL7-based-clinical-document-architecture-CDA-schema-for-Centers-for_fig4_51614531 Clinical documentation improvement (CDI) - the process, often supported by specialized software, that is intended for physicians to enhance their documentation of patient encounters and procedures. Cognitive computing (CC) - the simulation of human thought process in a computerized model. CC is a branch of artificial intelligence that uses machine learning and natural language processing to reproduce the way the human brain works. The purpose of cognitive computing is to build automated IT systems to solve problems without requiring human assistance. Computer-assisted coding system (CACS) - software that utilizes natural-language processing to analyze healthcare documents and generate appropriate medical codes for specific phrases and terms within the document. Computerized practitioner order entry (CPOE) - the process of listing electronic orders for medications and tests using computerized clinical decision support. Continuity of Care Record (CCR) - a standard for creating and providing timely access to electronic summaries of patient health for other caregivers. Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) - a standard for storing and transferring medical pictures enabling the integration of medical imaging devices and PACSs from various producers. Direct Project - a secure clinical messaging protocol for enabling data exchange between healthcare providers. Disease management - a system of healthcare interventions and communications for maintaining care and support for patients with chronic illness such as diabetes, HIV/AIDS, and cancer. Electronic health record (EHR) - a patient’s official health document that is shared among multiple medical organizations. All records are stored in a digital format and include the same types of information, like contact and insurance details, a list of medications and surgeries or procedures performed, etc. Learn how we developed a custom EHR for a well-known Company. Electronic Intensive Care Unit (eICU) - a form of telemedicine that uses state-of-the-art monitoring tools to keep an eye on patient’s state of health within the country. ‘We are a second set of eyes for taking care of critical care patients. It’s like an air traffic control center where patients are the blips on radar, and we’re the controllers making sure everything goes smoothly.’ Lisa-Mae Williams, director of telehealth and eICU at Baptist Health South Florida Electronic medical record (EMR) - the patient record created by providers for specific encounters in hospitals and ambulatory environments. The data may be exportable to an EHR. E-prescription - a computer-generated appointment created by a healthcare provider and sent directly to pharmacies to avoid paperwork, phone calls or possible fraud. Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) - a standard for electronic exchange of healthcare information. FHIR can be used in mobile apps, cloud communications, EHR-based data sharing and among institutional healthcare providers. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) Regulations of mHealth technologies - a legal act which classifies medical devices into three categories based on the associated risk to ensure safety and effectiveness of the gadgets. Federal Health Architecture (FHA) - an e-government initiative that coordinates health IT activities among federal agencies responsible for providing medical services. The FHA helps federal institutions invest in standards-compliant technology and ensure the accountability of governmental health IT programs. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - the set of rules that requires private and public healthcare sectors to demonstrate they are protecting their patients’ data adequately. Any healthcare provider must verify their patients’ identities and organize a system that allows the erasure or rectification of their data. Applicable for companies in EU or targeting EU citizens. These 7 steps will help prepare your software for GDPR. Google Fit - a health-tracking platform that collects data from multiple apps and Android devices. The tool uses sensors in a customer’s activity tracker or gadget to record physical fitness activities to provide a complete view of their vigor. Users can decide who accesses their fitness data as well as delete info at any time. Source: google.com/fit/ Health Employers Data Information Set (HEDIS) - a set of standardized performance measures used by healthcare professionals to compare the quality and services provided by health plans, group practices, and hospitals. Health information exchange (HIE) - reliable and secure sharing of the healthcare-related data among institutions, health information organizations and government facilities in compliance with national standards. Health information organization (HIO) - is a U.S. government-led non-profit medical institution which transfers healthcare info electronically across organizations, including smaller clinics, hospitals, medical societies, major employers, and payers. Health information technology (HIT) - an IT field which involves development, use, and support of information systems for the healthcare industry. Automated and interoperable healthcare information systems are expected to improve medical care, lower costs, increase efficiency and reduce error, while optimizing reimbursement for ambulatory and inpatient healthcare providers. Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act - U.S. legislation passed in 2009 to encourage the adoption of electronic health records and the supporting technology. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) - U.S. legislation that provides data privacy and security provisions for safeguarding medical data. HIPAA Privacy Rules protects sensitive patient info by establishing a set of rights and standards that apply to healthcare provides gathering and storing it electronically or otherwise. Want to create a HIPAA-compliant app? Contact our healthcare specialists for advice! Health Level Seven International (HL7) - a set of standards, guidelines, and methodologies for transfer, integration, and retrieval of healthcare information. In theory, the ability to exchange data should minimize the tendency for medical care to be geographically isolated and highly variable. Home monitoring - the use of technology to remotely monitor a patient’s medical history from their home to enhance their comfort. Hospital information system (HIS) - a computer system that addresses mainly the administrational needs of hospitals. They manage the data related to the finance department, laboratory, nursing (NIS), pharmacy (PIS), radiology (RIS) and pathology departments. International Classification of Diseases (ICD) - a system used by healthcare providers to categorize and code all diagnoses, symptoms, and procedures. Meaningful use (MU) - the U.S. government EHR incentive program, which sets the standards for using health records and exchanging patient clinical data between healthcare providers, insurers, and patients. Medical algorithm - a step-by-step protocol to address medical challenges like diagnosis or screening. Usually, it is represented as a flowchart or stepwise instruction. Source: wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_algorithm Medical practice management software (PMS) - a toolkit that is used to manage day-to-day operations of a medical practice, such as appointment scheduling, billing tasks performing and report generating. Medical Scheduling Software - a solution for managing patient appointments and allocating medical staff. Mobile health (mHealth) - the accessibility and exchange of clinical and patients’ information via mobile devices and apps. National Council for Prescription Drug Programs (NCPDP) - a non-profit ANSI-accredited organization that manages a number of standards to improve the communication within the pharmacy industry. National Health Information Network (NHIN) - a set of technologies, standards, policies, programs, and practices that enable medical data to be shared among healthcare decision makers to improve the industry. Office of the National Coordination of Health Information Technology (ONC) - a federal institution that regulates and standardizes health technology for general usage in the U.S. Patient Encounter Costing (PEC) - a cost accounting system that is used to record, analyze, and allocate costs for the individual services provided to patients, such as medications, procedures, analysis, and boarding. Patient portals - a website that allows patients access personal health information and communicate with their healthcare providers online. Personal health record (PHR) - a collection of patient’s self-maintained health-related information. PHRs are stored on a personal device or the Internet and can be shared with third parties only with the consent of the owner. Personal health information (PHI) - medical history, laboratory results, insurance info and other data that a healthcare professional stores to identify an individual and determine appropriate care. Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) -  a quality improvement program initiated to determine whether physicians should have their Medicare payments adjusted up or down. Picture archiving and communication system (PACS) - a healthcare imaging technology which provides economical storage and convenient access to the content, including computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results. Population health management (PHM) - a discipline that studies and facilitates medical assistance across the general population or a group of individuals. Protected health information (PHI) - any part of a patient’s medical record or payment history that can be used for de-identification before researchers share the dataset publicly. Remote monitoring -  differs from home monitoring with a broader coverage area. The tools are applied to a patient anywhere and send alerts to a nurse station if their condition worsens, reducing the need for close personal monitoring. Revenue cycle management (RCM) - a financial process that healthcare facilities use to track patients care episodes from registration and appointment scheduling to the final payment. Telehealth/Telemedicine - the adoption of telepresence or video conferencing to maintain medical consultations or treatments remotely. Treatment decision support - a set of tools and processes that are used by patients who will receive the treatment to improve their healthcare decision-making. Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA) - a medical imaging technology in which images and documents are archived in a standard format and accessible to healthcare professionals regardless of what proprietary system created the files. Virtual visits - a model of healthcare services provision that is based on remote consultations through video or voice connection. Read more about healthcare software development in our blog: Top Healthcare Mobile Apps Using React Native Python in Healthcare Top 20 Healthcare SaaS Companies from New York Order your EHR system from Belitsoft - a top Healthcare Development Company!

Mobile health is a growing IT sector that focuses on transforming how healthcare providers interact with their patients. According to Zion Market Research, the global mHealth market size is expected to reach $102.43 billion by 2022. Industry experts predict that 70% of healthcare organizations will invest in healthcare mobile app development by 2018. ‘The market for digital health tools is finally starting to catch up to the demand. Unfortunately, this increase can lead to a surge in unreliable tools. Nearly half of consumers today are considered digital health adopters—and that number is only going to rise as the benefits become apparent and tech-savvy generations get older.’ Nitin Goyal, MD, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Founder & CEO at Pulse Platform The following statistic displays the number of mHealth apps available on Google Play. During the last measured period, the store offered just over 51.000 medical apps, representing a 5.7 percent growth over the previous quarter. The most income-generating mHealth apps on Google Play are fitness and calories counter systems. Source: statista.com/statistics/779919/health-apps-available-google-play-worldwide Apps have become an essential part of the healthcare field. Medicare providers and patients all benefit from up-to-date, user-friendly, and free or minimal-cost healthcare apps. Due to rising supply, it has become increasingly important to offer a high-quality product. Thus, designing mHealth apps that provide efficient and convenient ways of providing healthcare services is among the top-most concerns of developers. In this article, we talk about what colors are best suited for healthcare mobile software and give you some examples. We then focus on app notification design. Surely we compare iOS and Android design style and show you some key differences with actual screenshots. Finally, we refer to best practices to customize your app for users with disabilities. Have an idea to create an mHealth app? Contact us to start your business! Familiarizing with colors As part of the development process, it is necessary to choose a proper color scheme and fonts. Users should feel peaceful with confidence that they run a right medicare software to address their needs and concerns. To that end, vibrant colors should be replaced with a more delicate and calm color palette. Fortunately, there are many hues to pick from both cold and warm sides of the spectrum. Cold tones are most often used for the background. These hues establish an overall sense of tranquility that is necessary to help users concentrate on the more important features of the healthcare app. White Fitbit - an activity tracker for iOS and Android Oscar Health - a health insurance app for iOS and Android Blue Calm - a meditation app A pharmacy app by Lewis+Humphreys Grey BioDigital - a 3D health visualization system Clue - a female health app Green Omada - a behavior change program HealthTap - an online doctor consultation app Warm tones are great for accent colors and for attracting attention. However, products designed in this color scheme as their dominant may be used in obstetrics and gynecology. All because in Europe and the USA, pink is often associated with the women. Pink Flo - a fertility and pregnancy calendar Blogilate - a fitness app Purple Zipdrug - a medication delivery app Cliniklik healthcare app design by Pablo Barzet, Source Yellow GoodRX - a drug price tracking app in the USA Red Pills On Time - a medication reminder and pills tracker Orange MINDBODY - fitness, salon and spa booking app App notification design Notifications are crucial to mHealth apps, especially for those that provide tracking and reminders. Giving them different designs enables indicating importance and urgency. For example, an app reminds users of their scheduled time to take a pill. Along with this, it also notifies of an upcoming physician’s appointment. To avoid confusion and highlight relevance, developers have to give the reminders various design elements. To this end, they can use color-coding, font choices, gestures, or notification behavior/animation. CareZone - a medication management app MyTherapy - a medication reminder and pill tracker Couch to 5K - a running trainer Sleep Cycle - an intelligent alarm clock For our take on healthcare software development take a look at the latest EHR we've developed. This article give insights into the approach we used: How to Build an EHR System Android vs iOS: Different design styles Most popular apps, including mHealth, are released for both iOS and Android. The following are some differences to be taken into account when developing a mobile app. — First off, the design rules for Android devices are determined by Material Design, while for iOS - by Human Interface Guidelines. The first one is based on a layered "paper" approach providing more hierarchy with realistic shadows, light, and motion. As for iOS, designers can use the effects of transparency, blurring, gradients or shadows to attract users attention. — Moving between screens is a common action users take on apps. On Android, there is a universal navigation bar at the bottom. The back button is the simplest way to go back to a previous screen and it works in all apps. Runtastic Balance Food Tracker and Calorie Counter for Android The vision on iOS is a little different. As can be seen on the screenshot below, there is no back button here. Thus, the app screen has a button on the top left corner. Moreover, designers can also use the name of the previous page behind the back icon to let customers know where they will go back. Runtastic Balance Food Tracker and Calorie Counter for iOS In addition, Apple introduced a gesture of swiping from left to right in apps to go back. The animation for the collecting samples flow for Bloodline for iOS by Bryce Thompson, Source — Apps have different areas within them, usually organized as tabs. Different sections on Android are displayed on top of the app. In addition, the Android version shows only icons on the tab row, whereas the iOS version also has labels. However, iOS app’s sections are organized as tabs on the bottom of the screen. Doctor On Demand for Android Doctor On Demand for iOS MyFitnessPal for Android MyFitnessPal for iOS — Action buttons are those that enable users to take some actions like share, upload/download etc. Both Android and iOS have their own icon styles. My Diet Coach - a weight loss motivating and tracking app for Android My Diet Coach for iOS Understand target audiences A proper quality design is important for any mobile app, but it’s especially vital when creating a program for sensitive target users. ‘I’m not the first entrepreneur to create a digital health app for patients. But as a surgeon, I’m very aware of the day-to-day issues that arise, including the nuanced relationship between patient and provider. Not all entrepreneurs in digital healthcare have this level of awareness. That means some digital health tools don’t consider a patient’s best interest.’ Nitin Goyal said The following are some obstacles disabled users have met: Blind people may use screen reader software or Braille devices to access content but only text-based. Deaf users cannot access audio content unless it is transcribed. People who can’t use a mouse have to able to access content with a keyboard alone. Users with low vision, dyslexia, or attention deficit are difficult to process extensive texts and require more white space, simple screen images, and proper color contrast. Examples of color disabilities Site: w3.org/WAI/GL/low-vision-a11y-tf/wiki/Overview_of_Low_Vision Since this field is mainly represented by older people, or who might have sensory impairments and other disabilities or technically challenged, it’s necessary to tailor healthcare mobile app design. Source: greatcall.com/greatcall/lp/is-mobile-healthcare-the-future-infographic.aspx Designing for low- and no-vision and hearing: legislation Developing software that can be used by all people without the need for adaptation or specialized design is called “universal design”. Many software companies, unfortunately, focus on the characteristics of the “average” user. ‘The term user experience is now widely used, especially by major players in the industry including Apple, IBM and Microsoft. However, in many cases, the term is contrasted to usability which is often depicted as a much narrower concept focusing on systems being easy to use.’ Tom Stewart, Chair of the ISO sub-committee With a view to making software accessible for people with disabilities, the U.S. Congress has passed legislation in a range of areas. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and its amendment 508 suggested in 1986 require that information technology funded/used by the federal government must be designed to be accessible to people with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and ADA Amendments Act of 2008 require public software be accessible to users with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities, regardless of what audience is targeted. In 2017, the U.S. Access Board published a final rule updating accessibility requirements for information and communication technology (ICT). Further, it boosts international harmonization, in particular with Canada, Germany, France, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Designing for low- and no-vision and hearing: best practices The “mobile accessibility” standards address devices that interact with the web, including smartphones, tablets, and wearables. Most often, mobile devices have a small screen size that limits how much information users can actually view at one time. Especially, when zoom is used by people with low vision. Some best practices for helping low-vision users to make the most of small screens include: Cut the amount of the displayed content by providing a dedicated mobile version (providing fewer content modules, fewer images, or focus on important mobile usage scenarios) or a responsive design (on narrow screens the navigation menus may be hidden until a user taps a menu button). The left picture shows a page with no modification, print preview at 100%. The picture on the right shows the same page at 200%. Source: w3.org/WAI/GL/low-vision-a11y-tf/wiki/Printing_Customized_Text Provide a reasonable default size for content and touch controls to prevent text magnification by the user. The content has to be resizable without assistive technology up to 200 percent. Supply with on-page controls to change the text size (e.g. magnifying lens view under user’s finger). Source: pcworld.com/article/3131925 Avoid using complicated and decorative fonts because they can be discerned much harder. Use standard fonts like Arial or Times New Roman instead. Create alternative CSS with a highly contrasting color scheme. The WCAG 2.0. suggests Minimum (at least 4.5:1 or 3:1 for large-scale text) and Enhanced (at least 7:1 or 4.5:1 for large-scale text) contrasts. Arrange interactive elements where they can be easily seen when the device is held in different positions. Use a range of clearly contrasting colors and hues instead of relying on black and white as the design's only contrasting colors. Type1 Diabetes Mobile App Design Source: behance.net/gallery/32173645/Type-1-Diabetes-Mobile-App Avoid hard-to-see color combos, e.g: Green & red. Green & brown. Blue & purple. Green & Blue. Blue & Grey.  Green & Grey. Indicate clearly interactive elements (buttons or links) from non-actionable elements (content, status info, etc.) through the following parameters: Conventional shape: rounded-corner shaded button shape. Iconography:  question mark, home icon, back arrow, etc. for conventional visual icons. Color offset: various text color, shape with a different background color to distinguish the element from the page background. Conventional style: underlined text and different colors for links. To ensure access to all potential audiences, it is essential that software companies develop products to be compatible with assistive technology. When a mobile app is designed to be accessible to users with a broad range of disabilities, the others benefit too. For example, video transcripts enable deaf users to access the content. However, this feature allows for viewing it in a noisy environment, or for whom English is a second language. User-friendly design An important step toward a successful UX design for mHealth apps is to practice simplicity. We’ve reviewed dozens of healthcare apps, both on Google Play and App Store, and noticed there is one thing in common: simplistic or minimalist design. Indeed, such programs give users a clean and professional experience. ‘Don’t re-invent the wheel. Use models and frameworks developed by others, and modify them as needed [...] and incorporate what has worked before. Once that framework is established, it’s easier to go in and add elements that personalize or brand the experience.’ Jeffery Kendall, SVP and GM at Kony Health tracking app by Jakub Antalík Source: dribbble.com/shots/2834322-Health-tracking-app-case-study It is also essential to facilitate the register/sign-in process. User authorization has to take the minimum amount of time avoiding numerous screens and clicks. The simplification principle also applies to emergency data accessing, like doctor phone number, prescription medication, or allergies. Icon sets used in healthcare apps should be highly intuitive so that users can easily understand what a particular icon means. However, more creative symbols can be added while including their description at hand. Thus, developers avoid the possibility of confusing their customers. Medical Icon Set by Vivek Karthikeyan Source: dribbble.com/shots/3121056-Medical-Icon-Set Medical Icons by Asif Hussain Source: dribbble.com/shots/4131178-Medical-Icons Complete Medical App by Asif Hussain Source: dribbble.com/shots/4078004-A-Complete-Medical-Application Conclusion Designing an effective healthcare mobile app requires focusing on what works best for target audiences. Design should be centered around an intuitive UI/UX and proper coloring schemes. Moreover, to reach a wide audience, mHealth apps should be tailored for sensory impairment users. You want your app to have a modern and harmonious look? Our talented designers will liven it up! Contact us for advice!

What is gamification Gamification implies integrating game mechanics and design techniques into non-game experiences. This process motivates audiences participation and engagement while making mundane tasks more fun and interactive. ‘If you want somebody to do something, go to the next screen, or get them to physically go to a place, use the location services, have them check-in, and give a happy little exploding confetti reward for that on the phone, and you’d be shocked at how effective that is.’ Amanda Havard, Health: ELT CEO For more information on gamification as a whole and the mechanisms behind its effectiveness, see our article. In the context of health IT, gamification is typically employed in medication adherence, medical education-related simulations, fitness and wellness apps. The strategy is to use rewards for users who complete mandated tasks, and typically works in the following ways: By filling a progress bar to measure success. Thus, developers invoke progress-related instinct. ‘An estimated 50% of patients with chronic diseases do not follow the prescribed treatment. Gamified health tracking creates an environment that keeps the patient from straying from the appropriate therapy path.’ Dr. Bertalan Meskó, Director at the Medical Futurist Institute By allowing users to share progress and results with their friends/other players or designing an “honor roll”. Thus, developers create a competitive spirit to stimulating the use of the service. Fitness App. Reword Unlock by Olha Hurenko Source:dribbble.com/shots/4492657-Fitness-App-Award-Unlocked By awarding points, medals, stars, achievement badges or giving virtual currency during each stage of progress. Thus, developers create a sense of accomplishment and increasing motivation levels. Kenko Health Avatar by Yoann Baunach Source: dribbble.com/shots/4288089-Kenko-The-avatar-of-your-health In specialized health apps targeted to older users, individuals with movement or sensory impairments, gamification experiences are created using real-time biofeedback from motion-capture sensors and gesture-control technology. ‘Games don't need to be complex. We tapped into dance as a form of engagement.’ Dr. Doug Elwood, Executive Health and Wellness Leader An often overlooked benefit of gamified healthcare applications is their potential for gathering relevant patient data. Software like this motivates users to give more feedback which, in turn, helps companies find trends, make products that address the needs of the target audience better, and even create new business models. However, due to legal restrictions in countries like Germany and France, gathering data requires the attention of the corporate lawyers, as well as developers. Moreover, it presents an ethical and a cybersecurity challenge.  Gamified healthcare is a big deal: one report predicts the market for it to reach 4.2 billion dollars by 2022. Another one forecasts it to grow to a whopping 13.5 billion dollars by 2025. Look how gamification techniques can be used in e-learning projects. Or get help to implement game elements in your app. Gamifying healthcare: case studies The move to gamification of healthcare, however, seems to be a welcome one. According to PwC’s Top Health Industry Issues of 2017 report, 78% of respondents aged between 25 and 44 said they would use some form of gamification in their treatment. What software healthcare solutions are more relevant? Fitness and nutrition apps Self-management chronic condition and medication apps Healthcare apps for kids Physical therapy and rehabilitation apps Emotional health apps Motivating Wheelchair-bound Patients to Exercise Many people suffering from spinal trauma or dysfunction and having to use a wheelchair are also at risk of cardiovascular diseases. Exercise is difficult for them and the fact that they are sitting for most of the time only exacerbates the situation. Daily activities don’t help maintain the necessary level of activity. Fortunately, there is GameWheel - an interface that allows connecting wheelchair to the computer as a controller in specialized games. According to a study by scientists from several American universities, it proved effective in both motivating the patients to exercise more and in making the periods of exercise more productive. The study participants used GameWheel to play a racing game where pushing their physical push on the wheel translated to the speed of the car on the screen. As a result, the heart rate, oxygen consumption, and ventilation were higher in the players than in their non-playing counterparts. Moreover, some reported that they were so absorbed in the game, that they forgot they were exercising. Helping Cancer Patients The “Re-Mission” game series has proven to be effective in helping children and young adults suffering from various forms of cancer. Re-Mission: Nanobot’s Revenge Not taking their medicines on time is a widespread problem in patients - up to 50% of them either fail to take the drugs regularly or don’t file the prescription at all. In the case of life-threatening diseases, it becomes extra important to solve. That’s why a non-profit HopeLab Foundation has commissioned a serious game to address the issue. “Re-Mission” put the player in control of the “Roxy” nanobot that was to fight cancer with chemoblaster, radiation gun, antibiotic rocket, and other weapons derived from actual medical treatments. It proved to be a huge success, so “Re-Mission 2”, a suite of free-to-play online games was launched. These games improved the treatment adherence rates, and also increased the patients’ self-efficacy - confidence that the disease can be defeated. Fitness and nutrition apps Apple’s 2014 App Store review of 100+ health apps proved a direct correlation between gamification elements embed and high user ratings. MyFitnessPal used the highest number of gamification techniques. We all know Fitbit as one of the early innovators in the wearables game. However, the company is positioning itself as the go-to device for employers. Fitbit has almost 1.500 corporate wellness program customers including BP, IBM, and Bank of America. Most of them give their employees Fitbit devices to track their workout progress and health habits. Source: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fitbit.FitbitMobile Fitbit is an example of how corporate partners are becoming more involved in mHealth apps. Such tactics, therefore, allows employers to reduce employee healthcare costs by improving lifestyles or providing instant access to non-emergency care. However, one of the most striking examples of how companies accepting healthcare gamification is Apple. They award Apple Watch and iPhone users with badges for accomplishing workout tasks like hiking and cycling or surpassing daily totals like calories burden. Source: macworld.co.uk/how-to/apple/apple-watch-activity-achievement-badge-3658788 Awarding badges is part of Apple’s continued push into healthcare. The Health app on iPhone, Workout app on Apple Watch and Activity apps on both have distinct functions but can define user’s health status in details. The strategy helped Apple boost Apple Watch sales and own 2017 wearables market. Source: imore.com/apple-watch-and-activity-tracking-what-you-need-know Unlocking wellness achievements turns into a naturally popular behavior. The wild success of Pokémon Go demonstrated how willingly people play achievement-oriented games simply for the fun of earning points. Importantly, Pokémon Go proved that game playing is not always about passive experience - players are required to walk around and keep moving. ‘A lot of fitness apps come with a lot of "baggage" that end up making you feel like "a failed Olympic athlete" when you're just trying to get fit. Pokémon Go" is designed to get you up and moving by promising you Pokémon as rewards, rather than placing pressure on you.’ John Hanke, Pokémon Go CEO Yet Pokémon Go does get people moving more but the effect doesn’t last. In fact, the market offers more than 9.000 healthcare-related apps. Many of them are downloaded, used once or twice, then forgotten. The exercise-tracking startup Pact pursues a highly-motivating policy among people looking to improve their health. Users make pacts promising to exercise or eat healthier. Source: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gympact.android&hl=en By failing to meet their target, users have to pay a monetary penalty between $5 and $50, while those who succeed get a part of the payment. Smartphone location data and photos taken in gym serve as the evidence. Players can specify how much they would be fined if they failed to meet a pact. This money then goes to a collective pool that allocates payouts among those who do reach their goals. The powerful driving force of this mHealth app is that users can actually lose money when they fall off track. Unfortunately, even when players held up their part of the pact, the company allegedly failed to provide the funds promised. Pact must return about $1M as of September 2017. Self-management chronic condition and medication apps By helping patients understand their chronic conditions better and by simplifying medication management using gamification, patient compliance rates can be increased to achieve better outcomes. Gamification techniques can make the tedious and repetitive tasks of treating a chronic illness rewarding and more engaging. Diabetes is considered the “the disease of the 21st century”. The 2016 study revealed that many experts support the idea of creating an enjoyable experience for patients living with this chronic disease. ‘Naturally people like to be rewarded. Thus, if this [gamification] is applied to the self-management of diabetes, it would be very effective. [...] it will change the view and the experience of self-management of diabetes for the patient.’ from Gamifying Self-Management of Chronic Illness: A Mixed-Methods Study ‘Positive reward is enjoyable in whichever form it comes. This will help patients’ self-esteem.’ from Gamifying Self-Management of Chronic Illness: A Mixed-Methods Study Indeed, having diabetes requires self-management skills vital to prevent the complications associated with the disease and maintaining the healthy life. Gamified apps can help patients self-manage in a more efficient and entertaining manner. They also give them the opportunity to be appreciated for their efforts and to positively compete with one another. Now, what gamification elements are most commonly used? Tracking measures of blood glucose, insulin, food intake, and other related info. Getting feedback based on the entries. Being notified when blood glucose measures fluctuate. Glooko provides a remote patient monitoring platform for diabetes that enables users to connect any glucose meter, insulin pump or CGM. The company also offers a FDA-approved app to help patients manage their care and control outcomes. Source: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glooko.logbook mySugr is an another example of a gamified solution for diabetes management. The company is remarkable that they developed a separate app for children (mySugr Junior app). Mango Health mobile app reminds patients when it time to take their medicines and records each dose. It also automatically warns users about dangerous interactions between drugs and supplements or with food and drink. By taking medications properly, patients earn points to be redeemable for gift cards or charitable donations. Source: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mangohealth.mango&hl=en Unfortunately, gamification cannot diminish the seriousness of diabetes or any other chronic disease. Patients need help not only to enhance their illness self-management but also to be understood and supported by other victims. Gamified healthcare apps for kids Younger users usually do not understand the importance of long-term therapies or medications, regarding their illnesses as short-run miseries. They do not want to swallow bitter pills or have shots, do not want to be in therapy or stay in the hospital. Gamification can help children forget they undergoing medical treatment, teach them responsibility for their health. Inspired by Minecraft, Pfizer (a pharmaceutical company) launched a video game aimed at educating younger hemophilia patients, aged 8 to 16, about the importance of adhering to their treatment plans. Hemocratf is a simulated environment where players interact with the “village doctor” to learn how their treatments work. Kids are challenged to monitor factor levels and self-infuse to help control bleeding if needed. ‘These new digital innovations can be integrated into everyday routines to help empower people with hemophilia to learn about and track different aspects relevant to their disease so that they can have informed conversations with their healthcare providers.’ Dr. Kevin W. Williams, CMO of Pfizer Rare Disease, said Zamzee (acquired by Welltock) developed an activity tracker and rewards system for children to get them moving and complete quests based on their physical level. In a randomized controlled study, kids using Zamzee were nearly 60% more active. Young players collect points by moving and completing challenges. Earned points can be exchanged for virtual rewards, like equipment for their on-site avatars, or physical rewards, like pink duct tape sent to their address. Physical therapy and rehabilitation apps After a serious injury, it is difficult and time-consuming to reach even an agreeable level of independence regarding movement or other activity. Gamification takes a chance to reimagine the physical therapy experience. Reflexion Health offers a patient-facing telerehabilitation solution known as VERA. This platform controls the movements of patients practicing physical therapy exercises. The system works in patients’ homes allowing them to watch an animated instructor model on TV or PC. Motion tracking technology compares patients’ performance with the sample and gives guidance and correction suggestions if needed. As VERA helps patients recover function over time, it is essential to encourage, measure and report patient engagement and objective performance of their progress. ‘This focus on developing an ongoing relationship with specific patients, along with the framework it requires and the metrics it produces, are major differences from broadly-released, “fire-and-forget” games for health.’ Mark Barrett, Lead Software Engineer at Reflexion Health The GlassOff program is developed to eliminate dependency on reading glasses by enhancing users brain’s image processing function. The recovery process consists of several sessions that are mini visual recognition games. Working through GlassOff exercises takes about 12 minutes. It’s recommended to follow the program 3 times a week for 3 months. The app automatically reminds users when it’s time for the next session. Source: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glassesoff.android Emotional health apps Happify toolset helps users improve their emotional well-being, overcome stress and anxiety that have a negative impact on daily life. Their app has 30+ tracks to choose from and tracks user progress to see how their skills compare. Each track is based on scientific research from neuroscientists and psychologists at Harvard, Stanford or Penn. ‘After six to eight weeks, 86% of users who use the program for the recommended time and dosage come back and say they feel happier and much better.’ Ofer Leidner, Co-Founder of Happify Source: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.happify.happifyinc&hl=en Looking for an attractive healthcare business model? Find your inspiration in our articles: Top 20 healthcare SaaS companies from New York How to design a healthcare app Top healthcare mobile apps using React Native How can gamification help your business Employers, insurers, and healthcare providers are focusing more energy on keeping people out of the hospital by helping them manage their own health. Thus, the market demands high-quality and complex solutions that make getting healthy more fun. Gamification delivers proven and tangible results. By applying gamification elements into the product, businesses have experienced an increase in engagement across social media and website traffic generated. To bear all the valuable fruits of gamification, businesses have to understand the environment to which it is applied. In other words, specific gamification techniques need to be tailored and adapted by this specific audiences. Already in favor of gamification in your healthcare app? Fill our online “get a quote” form to start.