Digital transformation has brought significant changes to many areas of activity, and the healthcare industry has been particularly affected in recent years.
Hospitals and medical professionals are actively using specialized software. Healthcare apps help doctors and nurses do their jobs, simplify patients’ lives, and make the industry more efficient and affordable.
There are many reasons why healthcare software is becoming increasingly popular, including:
- Ubiquitous smartphones, wearable devices and other portable electronics
- Growing capabilities for remote diagnostics
- Increased access to healthcare services through digital technologies
- The ability to collect and interpret data related to patient health.
The implementation of healthcare software is essential for medical companies, institutions and employees. It allows them to make healthcare services more accessible and increase their competitiveness in the market.
This article will look at the main types of medical software and tell you what they are used for in hospital and clinics.
Most Popular Types of Software Used in the Healthcare Industry
The list below is certainly far from complete, as some hybrid products that may combine several functions are available too. However, this review will help you understand digitization priority directions in this area.
1. Hospital Management System (HMS)
It is a complex software system that aims to automate hospital inner processes and serve the needs of several interested user groups like administrative personnel, health professionals, and patients. An HMS often comprises two components (interfaces): one for clinic management and work processes and the other for patients.
Hospital Management Software covers all the essential clinic aspects, starting from the first contact with patients and finishing with treatment regimens and further patient-doctor interactions.
It also helps medical facilities supply the necessary resources, make development forecasting, etc. Using this software, clinics can increase their overall productivity, reduce routine tasks, and improve customer service quality.
SmartTek Solutions offers custom healthcare software development services for SMEs, large businesses, and healthcare organizations globally.
2. Appointment Scheduling Software
This type of healthcare software runs online appointment management systems. It also consists of an admin interface and a patient interface, allowing both parties to manage the appointment scheduling. The administrative staff gets detailed data on doctors’ workload in a calendar format.
Such software products automatically remind doctors and patients about scheduled appointments by sending email alerts or initiating push notifications in a mobile app.
3. Electronic Health Record (EHR) Software
EHR software resembles CRM systems for businesses. However, it is adapted to the healthcare industry’s needs. Doctors and clinics use it to collect data on their patients. EHRs are probably the most popular type of software used in healthcare.
Electronic Health Record Software is an electronic counterpart to patients’ medical charts that store all personal data, information about currently taken drugs, previously undergone procedures, etc. Doctors can share access to their patient records with workmates, but exclusively authorized providers can make changes to the database.
4. Health Tracking & Monitoring Apps
This app type includes a wide variety of software products designed to track patients’ physical indicators (heart rate, body temperature, sleep time, weight) and even monitor their mental health.
In most cases, such products are companion apps for wearable devices like Xiaomi Mi Band and Apple Watch. They collect and display essential data necessary to monitor users’ body condition. Although these apps are not precisely “healthcare software products,” they are a source of valuable data about people’s health.
5. Medical Billing Software
That is a highly-specialized type of software solution designed to track invoices, receipts, insurance claims, and other payments in healthcare. It is best for managing the entire complex of financial operations in a medical facility.
Medical billing software is often part of a hospital management system. However, the market also offers separate products designed to solve just this type of task.
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Contact us6. Electronic Prescription Software (EPC)
This type of software allows doctors to create new prescriptions, renew or cancel them, and track past prescription history. To make it even more convenient for patients, these apps can even include the possibility of placing necessary drug orders in the chosen drug store.
It is convenient and fast to work with electronic prescriptions. Doctors and patients can equally benefit from such software products. The risk of information loss is minimal because the software stores data online.
7. Medical Imaging Software
Medical software of this kind visualizes examination results, plans surgery procedures, builds 3D models, and shows outcomes to patients.
The dentistry branch, for instance, actively uses 3D modeling. Before starting their work, orthodontists can inspect a realistic model of the patient’s dentition and get a clear understanding of what they have to do to achieve the best results possible.
8. Medical Diagnosis Software
Having obtained an accurate diagnosis, therapists can select appropriate drugs and assign efficient treatment. Dedicated software accelerates decision-making and mitigates possible errors. Advanced products of this kind increasingly use artificial intelligence to evaluate large amounts of data and help doctors to achieve accurate treatment results.
Diagnostic apps for patients are also worth highlighting. Patients can use them to verify medical condition symptoms, determine their body condition, and other similar purposes. Software of this kind allows people to use proven knowledge rather than rely on Internet searches.
9. Medical Equipment Management Software
This type of software frees healthcare staff from the necessity to keep track of various equipment and consumables manually. The app can automatically monitor the available stock and send notifications to responsible employees when it is time to make any additional purchases.
This software also assists in monitoring scheduled equipment and infrastructure maintenance or drawing up appropriate schedules. Medical equipment management systems are mostly part of more complex hospital management software.
10. VR Training & Simulation
Healthcare specialists do not stop learning after they graduate from university. They must acquire new skills and improve existing ones throughout their entire life. So, virtual and augmented reality techs pronouncedly reveal their potential in healthcare education. You can check examples of such products in our portfolio:
Virtual reality technology can create a lifelike simulation of a realistic environment and help doctors develop vital skills by repeating the training as many times as they need.
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Let’s talkBesides, surgeons, nurses, and other medical professionals can gain new skills and refine the existing ones remotely in a safe environment for them and their patients. In their turn, clinics can save on expensive equipment.
Conclusion
From electronic prescriptions to complex clinic management systems — modern technologies penetrate all areas of healthcare services and sometimes change them fundamentally. Dedicated software helps medical staff automate routine operations, streamline processes, speed up doctor-patient interactions, and improve treatment outcomes. That is really important for each of us.
If your company operates in the healthcare industry, and you want to develop an effective, modern, and reliable software solution to solve your daily tasks, we are ready to become your reliable technology partner. Contact us, and let’s talk the details!
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