You’ve probably heard about cloud computing being offered by companies like Amazon and its

Consequently, many application developers are now starting to use cloud-centric platforms for mobile app design due to its numerous advantages and features over traditional application development. As a Los Angeles App Development agency, we’ve worked with many companies that have questions about cloud computing as they explore their next app idea. Hopefully, this article can shed some light on the importance of cloud computing, where it fits in the app development life cycle and considerations regarding your approach to cloud computing.

How can cloud computing benefit your mobile app development? We’re so glad you asked!

Throughout this article, we will be discussing some of the many ways cloud computing can positively impact your mobile application development. With these proven benefits, we believe that you will not only be able to optimize the application design process, but you will also have the tools necessary to produce high-quality mobile apps geared to provide users with a seamless in-app experience. 

Time Reduction: Say Goodbye to Unnecessary Time Consumption

In today’s competitive digital business landscape, efficiency is everything. The amount of time spent on a given task is arguably the most important factor in any form of business operation, as it can make or break the financial performance of an organization. 

One of the biggest complaints we hear from mobile app developers is that the application design process consumes too much time. From designing the framework of the app to testing its functionality, traditional mobile app development has the potential to eat up hours upon hours of a developer’s time. 

Enter Cloud Computing.

Currently, developers who utilize a cloud-based development platform are experiencing a significant reduction in the time taken for mobile app development. This reduction in time is a vital asset for developers as it lessens the time to market period, allowing their applications to gain ground over the competition. 

Because these cloud-centric development platforms come standard with key components such as advanced integration, stronger security and pre-installed application programming interfaces (APIs), mobile app developers are now able to spend less time on the development of the app and instead apply this time in other areas of the application design, such as new features and   app upgrades suggested by users. 

Compatibility: Cloud-Based Mobile Apps Function Across Multiple Platforms

Which platform do you prefer; iPhone or Android? No matter what your preference is, you’ve most likely come across apps that are only available on one platform or the other. 

This is because traditional mobile application development doesn’t permit developers to construct a “one-size-fits-all” app. Rather, most developers have to choose a platform to utilize. And, if they wish to make the app available on another platform as well, then they are required to completely recode the application in accordance with the other platform’s framework. 

Sounds like a handful, right? In fact, these compatibility issues can cause strenuous headaches for developers, typically resulting in lengthened time to market and a lesser quality end-product. 

Fortunately, cloud computing technology provides developers with the ability to launch their applications on various platforms, such as iOS and Android, without the need for re-coding. This is because cloud-centric platforms do the hard work and optimize applications for use on numerous platforms, allowing developers to focus solely on the features and design of the mobile application. 

And like we discussed prior, this minimized workload allows mobile app developers to cut down on unnecessary time consuming tasks and direct their efforts towards the implementation and functionality of the app. 

Scalability, Reliability and Recovery

As mobile apps continue to progress with our digital age, users are becoming increasingly demanding of applications that demonstrate strong reliability and recovery services. 

Unfortunately, traditional mobile application development can create nightmare scenarios for developers when faced with scalability, reliability and recovery issues. For instance, application updates and security patches with traditional app development often render mobile apps unusable until these issues are resolved by developers, due to the complexity of altering the application’s framework.

With cloud computing technology, however, developers are able to continuously fix and update their applications without pulling the app out of commission. This ability is not only instrumental in providing users with a seamless experience while using the application, but it also drastically reduces the time needed by developers to address these issues. 

In addition, cloud-centric platforms promote advanced data recovery through the use of cloud servers which store the application’s data and back it up regularly, in turn preventing critical data from being lost in complications such as data breaches.

Here at Dogtown Media, we’re dedicated to providing our clients with cutting-edge applications, built on a matured foundation of experience. With over ten years of experience in the app development industry and countless accolades, we’re confident we can bring your next mobile application from idea to reality.

Reach out to learn more!

Blockchain technology concept with diagram of chain and encrypted blocks. Businessman hand using mobile phone with digital layer effect as business strategy concept

As the world continues to grow more interconnected and businesses across the globe move through a digital transformation, business leaders are faced with new unprecedented challenges. With the global fraud economy set to hit 5 trillion by 2024, data privacy concerns reaching an all-time high, and data growth reaching unfathomable levels, businesses are in need of innovative solutions to help regain control of data, limit risk and position their organization for future success. 

And as organizations continue to search for answers to meet today’s growing business challenges, one technology continues to create buzz promising a silver bullet effect in addressing these issues: Blockchain. From general app developers to developers in the MedHealth space, blockchain is becoming a hot topic on the design and development front.

By this point, many of us are only familiar with blockchain technology through its application in cryptocurrency, supporting cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Etherium. It may be true that blockchain is the foundation of many cryptocurrencies today however, blockchain technology is so much more than a supporting role for cryptocurrency.

Blockchain Essentials

So, what is blockchain really? At a fundamental level, blockchain technology offers a decentralized mechanism for storing data in an extremely secure fashion. Let’s look at the example of Bitcoin to better understand. With the use of blockchain technology, every Bitcoin transaction can be added to a public-facing digital ledger (or blockchain). This digital ledger is shared in a peer-to-peer network amongst many different users transaction Bitcoin, so at a high level, this transacting process does not require the security of facilitation of third-party banking institutions to facilitate transactions. How can this be?

The blockchain and any blockchain entry are validated through computers solving very complex consensus algorithms. Any participant in the blockchain validation process will use their computational resources to solve these computational-intensive consensus algorithms, validating entries. By having so many independent users, validating this public-facing ledger simultaneously, it makes it nearly impossible to fabricate or falsify a change on the blockchain, again completely removing the need for a third-party verification service like a bank to validate transactions. 

So, blockchain makes sense for cryptocurrencies, but how can it solve these other challenges around data security, privacy, and compliance?

Real-world Implementation of Blockchain

When we look at the implementation of blockchain in real-world scenarios, it all comes down to secure data management. This is, at its core is the true value of blockchain. Let’s take a look at some example implementations of blockchain that are helping organizations build more secure and reliable data management processes.

Connections system sphere global world view on blue background 3D rendering

Boeing

In 2017, aviation giant Boeing introduced IoT-enabled blockchain technology into its manufacturing process. Understandably, the aircraft manufacturing and assembly process are extremely complex composed of many interdependent processes such as design, build, schedule operation, monitor, and maintenance. Prior to the implementation of blockchain, Boeing had to account for thousands of disparate processes in its aviation manufacturing process. This more manual process introduced risk through the lack of insight into the manufacturing process causing manufacturing delays and lack of dependability. By introducing IoT-backed blockchain into the process, Boeing gained rich insight and analytics into every stage of the manufacturing process. This dramatically drove down the incidence of failure in the manufacturing process effectively optimizing this process.

Walmart

In the world of retail, Walmart one of the world’s largest retail and e-commerce businesses is also using blockchain to its advantage. Walmart is leveraging blockchain technology to enhance data tracking and management processes. By adopting blockchain, Walmart is able to more easily track how items such as meat and poultry are sold in various outlets Further, as this technology proves to add value to Walmart’s operations, Walmart is looking to expand on the implementation of blockchain to track and manage distribution from the source to the end-user, with the intention of building secure and reliable data management processes that span the entire product lifecycle.

Medicalchain

Blockchain, of course, isn’t only being adopted in the major multinationals. Medicalchain, a startup in the healthcare space aims to leverage blockchain technology to make healthcare record access and management more secure, reliable, and accessible. Today, healthcare record management is ripe with challenges. From strict compliance requirements under HIPAA to outdated record management systems, healthcare is due for an overhaul in how doctors, providers, insurance organizations, and patients have access to secure medical records. Medicalchain is looking to use blockchain as the foundation of a new medical record transit and management platform to redefine how medical records are stored and transmitted.

Moving Forwards

So is blockchain simply hype, or is it the next major distributor in secure data management? Our assessment is that blockchain is here to stay. Through major adoption seen in the multinationals, and the startup space fighting to standout as the next leader in innovative data management, blockchain is positioned to redefine the look of organizations over the next five to ten years.

Are you considering implementing blockchain technology in your organization?  Let us know in the comments below!

Digital vaccine passports have become a contentious topic over the past few months. Whether you agree with their necessity or not, one thing’s become readily apparent: They are coming. But these passports may not take on the shape or format you imagined.

The U.S. government will not be implementing a vaccine passport. Instead, it is handing off the responsibilities of building and enforcing one to private enterprise. The reasoning behind this decision? Private organizations can solve this problem, faster, better, and more efficiently. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will be releasing guidelines for how to develop a vaccine passport in the coming weeks. But if you’re eager to get started on developing yours, we’ve got you covered.

In this blog post, we’ll give you a glimpse into our future with digital vaccine passports. We’ll also examine some of the common pitfalls that this paradigm is susceptible to. Lastly, we’ll round up this piece with a checklist that health tech developers should try their best to meet when creating a digital vaccine passport. Let’s get started!

Our (Near) Future With Digital Vaccine Passports

Whether you want to visit a certain country, partake in events like attending a concert, or work in a particular sector, it’s likely that you’ll have to demonstrate that you’ve received your COVID-19 vaccine in the near future. For example, unless they have very good reason to abstain from it, healthcare employees will need to be vaccinated to keep their jobs. This also goes for frontline workers across industries. Companies have the right to fire an employee or forgo renewing their contract if they have not been vaccinated.

Across the world, many organizations and countries are already taking action to implement vaccine passports and regulations of some kind. For instance, E.U. legislators recently proposed rules for a certificate system to verify the vaccine status of people moving between this union of 27 member countries. While those who pass these checkpoints can travel without the need for quarantine restrictions or additional tests, anyone who fails to comply with these regulations could be denied admittance or forced into quarantine.

While the concept of vaccine passports may seem stringent to some, its success is readily apparent in Israel. The country has issued “green passes” to citizens who are fully vaccinated. With this pass, people are free to eat at restaurants, socialize at bars, and attend concerts or sporting events. Public health experts believe that the country’s vaccine passport implementation has helped tremendously in keeping its COVID-19 numbers down and allowing its economy to reopen safely.

The arrival of vaccine passports will cause a big shift in society. After all, how do you really prove you’ve been vaccinated? In the U.S., people receive flimsy cards as proof. But these can potentially be forged and possibly lost. Well, that’s why vaccine passports are going digital. But there are still myriad pitfalls to address for this concept to be a success.

Potential Pitfalls of Digital Vaccine Passports

As we’ve alluded to with forgery, security is a prime concern when it comes to vaccine passports. But there’s also the potential issue of non-compliance. People as well as private and even public organizations may not follow the regulations that come with these passports. There’s also the question of fragmentation — as we witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic, each state took different measures to stave off this illness from spreading. If you were in Los Angeles, California, you probably had a drastically different experience than a citizen of Miami, Florida.

The problem of non-uniformity in vaccine passports only becomes magnified when you examine the entire world. Different vaccines are being distributed and used around the globe, and what’s permitted in one country may not be allowed in another. For example, China does not accept travelers who received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Such fragmentation between countries, along with the fact that digital vaccine passports will be developed by different organizations, could make things quite confusing.

Then there’s the question of time. Currently, there isn’t much data to go off of to see how long the COVID-19 vaccines are effective for. A quick Google search shows that there’s conflicting information regarding each specific vaccine’s efficacy against the COVID-19 variants circulating throughout the world. It’s likely that we’ll need to receive annual booster shots to ensure proper protection against this virus, so we’ll also need to factor in proof of these into passport iterations.

Clearly, several questions must be answered. While digital vaccine passports may differ from one another, there are a few key factors that all of them should possess.

Best Practices for Building a Digital Vaccine Passport

Here are some elements that every digital vaccine passport should have:

An Intuitive User Experience

A digital vaccine passport should be seamless to access and use. It should also enable the passport holder to easily disclose the minimum amount of information needed for verification. This can be difficult since the information required to be disclosed is dependent on the use case.

Privacy Protection Must Be Prioritized

Obviously, digital vaccine passports should be forgery-proof. But that’s only one segment of security in a long list of many. Be prudent and examine each component of your digital vaccine passport and every step required in a verification process. Identify any weak areas and ask yourself how you can strengthen them to ensure complete end-to-end privacy.

Build Trust Through Credibility and Transparency

Digital vaccine passports must strike a fine balance between information security and transparency. They must also work and be recognized across organizational and jurisdictional boundaries. Your solution should not only be multi-lingual but also credible enough that it’s recognized by various organizations such as airline companies and foreign governments. It should also be transparent enough to pass stringent requirements set forth by these organizations in a timely manner.

Data Portability

At the end of the day, digital vaccine passports are all about data. And developers of these passports must prioritize data portability. Passport holders should have complete control over the data they choose to share. Create your solution with granular data-sharing in mind so that users can easily compartmentalize and choose what information is displayed for various use cases.

Factoring In the Future

We believe that digital vaccine passports will become an essential part of humanity’s future. With that said, it’s vital for developers of these solutions to plan with the future in mind. This can be difficult to do since nobody knows what the future holds as far as health crises like the pandemic go. But it can help to examine the potential benefits that emerging technologies offer.

For instance, blockchain is a strong candidate for a tech stack that supports vaccine passports. it’s transparent, encrypted, and private. Not only does it store information securely, but you can choose who you share it with. And if you end up needing booster shots in the future to protect against COVID-19 variants, it can easily log that.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this overview of digital vaccine passports. What components would you like to see in these health tech solutions. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

From their inception, it was immediately obvious that wearables had immense potential to improve how we interact with medical apps. These sleek and stylish devices could not only make technology more widely accessible, but they could also allow us to understand our own health in a more intimate, digestible way. Dogtown Media has always striven to keep up and innovate with the latest developments in wearable technology. That’s why we’re so excited and honored to announce that we’ve recognized as a top wearable app developer of 2020 by TopDevelopers.co!

Since we opened our doors in 2011, the wearables market has witnessed unprecedented growth. The explosive popularity of these devices has led to countless advancements which now present endless opportunities for augmenting preventative medicine. With that said, it’s safe to say that the days of viewing wearables as mere fitness trackers are over — this technology can give you a comprehensive picture of your health that wasn’t possible only a few years ago.

Wearables unlock insights that allow anyone to take better control of their health. They can also elucidate better ways for medical experts to manage maladies. It’s no exaggeration to say that these benefits are priceless. But this is really just the beginning; we expect wearables to radically expand in functionality and capability over the next few years.

TopDevelopers.co assessed several wearable app developers to identify the pioneers in this field. Ultimately, they had to drastically cut down their list of candidates to companies that demonstrated not only substantial experience in this field but also a proven track record of consistent client satisfaction. We’re extremely proud that our Los Angeles-based development studio made the cut!

Besides being recognized as a top wearable app developer of 2020, Dogtown Media has also had the pleasure of being featured as one of the best B2B service providers in California by Clutch as well as a leading IoT app developer by TopDevelopers.co!

At a time when it has become painfully clear that more medical innovation is sorely needed, we’re committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with wearable technology. We’d like to extend our thanks to TopDevelopers.co once again for recognizing our work. We’d also like to thank our clients, team, and community — we couldn’t have done it without you!

Who is TopDevelopers.co?

TopDevelopers.co is a widely respected directory and review platform for B2B IT service providers. They take a neutral approach to analyzing companies. The team of analysts at TopDevelopers.co vets organizations through stringent parameters which ensure that only the most competitive firms, businesses, enterprises, and entrepreneurs are filtered through their process. This helps service seekers find the most appropriate solutions for their needs.

Telemedicine concept with doctor and smartphone

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed several processes in medicine, but perhaps the biggest was moving from in-person doctor appointments to conducting them over a video call. Telehealth has been great for many patients and physicians across the world, but it still comes with its own set of challenges. With that said, many people are wondering if telehealth is here to stay after the pandemic, or will it fade back into obscurity?

It turns out that the mass adoption of telehealth won’t be as smooth as we’d like to think, but there is a lot of merit in keeping it around for the benefit of both patients and providers.

The Good News

Medical applications like telehealth aren’t new: it’s been around since the Internet was invented, but Internet speeds weren’t fast enough to handle video conferencing. Now, with the roll-out of more affordable high-speed Internet, we are seeing users adopt telehealth with more enthusiasm. Telemedicine can fill in gaps for at-risk and elderly populations by offering better access to care for those populations. And, as we’ve seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, it can also be a safe way to see the doctor when you’re not feeling well enough or are scared to go in person.

Doctor telemedicine service online video for virtual patient health medical chat . Remote doctor healthcare consultant from home using online mobile device connect to internet for live video call .

Telehealth also affords patients more privacy of medical services, security of their sensitive information, and safety from being exposed to infections and illnesses. Better yet, the service offers a lowered cost of service for patients and a reduced workload for providers. Ultimately, it’s convenient for both patients and providers.

With the increasing popularity of smart devices, telemedicine has expanded and grown in the past few years. Compared to 35% of hospitals in 2010 employing telehealth, there was a major uptick to 76% of hospitals offering the service in 2019. Experts expect the telehealth industry and market to grow from $34 billion in 2018 to $185 billion in 2026.

What To Improve in Telehealth

It seems, for all intents and purposes, that telehealth is here to stay — for good. But there are many hurdles for the technology and its proponents to get over. For one, not all medical providers are comfortable enough with technology to offer it as a service. It doesn’t make sense to force the technology on these providers because it could lead to a loss of privacy and data security for their patients.

On that note, there’s also no way to ensure that providers are upholding a decent or consistent quality of service and care between offices and regions. There are no standards of care set out by the federal government or by the governing medical association. Because there are no standards or rules in place, regulation, reimbursement, and billing become more convoluted.

The telemedicine concept with doctor and smartphone

On the other hand, there are entire populations of patients that may not be able to use the service or know how to access it without getting in-person training, which erodes a major benefit of telehealth: convenience. Patients may not know that telehealth is being offered by their insurance company or doctor. And speaking of insurance companies, providers are noticing that insurers are not providing enough support for the service.

Many patients lack local infrastructure and a good-enough Internet connection. While patients in Los Angeles or New York have adequate access to a high-speed connection, rural patients and those in developing third-world countries face disadvantages in conducting video calls. If all medical providers switch to remote health delivery, many people will die from a lack of medical service. Experts say the quality of the Internet connection could determine the accuracy of the diagnosis, which is terrifying to think about.

There is also the issue of cybersecurity, which affects all digital and emerging technologies, not just telemedicine or digital healthcare. With medical records increasingly becoming electronic, there is a risk of losing privacy as well as a need for proper cyber hygiene protocols. Experts say that to achieve an adequate level of awareness for providers and patients, it would require a large investment in digital literacy campaigns.

The Pandemic’s Effect

Up until the pandemic, the adoption of telemedicine was moving at a steady rate, and it was largely viewed as a new service to accommodate even more patients. But with the pandemic setting in, the shift to telemedicine was forcefully accelerated due to a need for remote, accessible, and reliable delivery of healthcare.

For many patients, most of whom had never taken a doctor appointment over a video call, the new service was a great alternative to an in-office visit. Surveys of patients who used telehealth show that 74% reported a high level of satisfaction from using telehealth services and support further development of the technology used. Surveys of providers who used telehealth to meet with patients showed that 57% have become more favorable towards using telehealth after exposure to COVID-19, and 64% are more open to the idea of working remotely.

The pandemic also shifted healthcare policies and streamlined the rapid adoption of telemedicine. Regulatory committees and insurance companies have even worked together to lift restrictions on remote healthcare in 2020.

Medicine Moving Forward

Because telehealth is a new technology, there are a lot of improvements needed before it can become the primary delivery of medical care for the world. But that doesn’t mean that it isn’t already a viable doctor appointment options as it stands.

Still, it’s imperative that we work together with Internet companies, local and federal regulators, and infrastructure departments to bring this amazing technology to those who need it most. There is hope, for both patients and providers, that telehealth will rise up to its challenges and meet its potential, even if it happens long after the pandemic ends.

Have you taken a telehealth appointment? How did it go? Let us know in the comments below!

At-home patient care has made great strides in the past decade, with the advancement of technology in IV infusion pumps, CPAP machines, and asthma inhalers. Unfortunately, because patients often misuse or underuse their at-home medical devices, providers often see poorer outcomes for their patients when compared to those who regularly use their home-based medical devices.

Tracking these outcomes and patient home situations are difficult for a variety of reasons: lack of knowledge of how devices are being used, how often and how exactly they’re used for off-label purposes, how much they malfunction, how often and how they are misused, and how effective they are when used properly and as intended. But by adding the Internet of Things (IoT) into the mix, medical applications can track usage, monitor devices, and analyze the output to provide clinicians, insurers, researchers, regulators, and device manufacturers realistic data. This data can be used to measure outcomes and optimize the next generation of medical devices.

Staying Healthy at Home

Before the pandemic, non-clinical settings like the workplace or home were growing in popularity for medical devices developed and meant for use in a medical setting. But with the current state of things, at-home medical devices are more important than ever to ensure patients stay safe and at home. At-home care is more convenient, easier on the wallet, and eases anxiety for the patient. It also helps patients avoid exposure to other illnesses at the doctor’s office or at the hospital.

Experts say IoT should be incorporated into any medical device that could be used in a non-clinical setting. IoT technology generates real-time data all day and night, and it can notify a provider if the patient is misusing or underusing their medical machine. It also can detect malfunctions, inefficiencies, and maintenance problems before the machine breaks down and leaves the patient without a device.

Infusion Pumps for IV

There are public IV bars where you can go for an IV boost if you’re feeling down or exhausted from physical exertion. These pumps are being sent home more often with patients for antibiotic delivery, hydration, parenteral (meaning outside of the mouth and digestive tract) nutrition, and post-operative pain management. When you go to a public IV bar, you’ll be injected by a registered or certified nurse.

Infusion pumps are complex to use, and each model from every manufacturer has different controls and prompts to learn. As a result, patients can accidentally mess up the dosage or insert the wrong IV bag or medication if they’re not paying attention and taking multiple medications. With IoT, we can keep track of dosage, inventory, and monitor the time of day usage, temperature, heart rate, and the patient’s qualitative condition to help patients avoid these errors. IoT applications can also alert the patient’s medical provider if there are any serious predicted problems as well as speak directly to the patient to help them learn how to better interact with their infusion pump.

CPAP Machines

CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machines are becoming increasingly popular for home treatment. These machines help patients with obstructive sleep apnea, which increases blood pressure, causes atrial fibrillation, and escalates the effects of heart disease. For patients who first get a CPAP machine at their home, there is initial discomfort as well as a significant learning curve. Additionally, patients don’t see immediate benefits to using the machine because it takes time for the effects to become apparent.

As a result, patients find it difficult to adhere to their PAP therapy, and less than 50% of patients use their CPAP machine for over four hours a night. This machine delivers the best therapy for sleep apnea, but it’s so uncomfortable to use that patients would rather take the risk of causing other health issues than keep it on all night. Insurance companies have become circumspect about buying expensive CPAP machines for patients and have started renting machines with monitoring installed to patients instead. If the patient wants to keep the machine long-term, they can eventually buy the machine from the insurance company.

With IoT technology, physicians can monitor their patients and analyze data about underuse of the machine. This can help the provider start a frank conversation with the patient geared towards improving the patient’s experience with the CPAP machine. Because insurance companies often try to get out of paying for replacement supplies like tubing, filters, and masks for patients, IoT technology can help the patient make a stronger case for their consistent usage of the machine. Unfortunately, many patients find the monitoring and rent-to-buy business model intrusive and inappropriate.

Inhalers for Asthma

For patients with asthma and breathing problems living in wildfire-prone areas like Los Angeles or polluted areas like New Delhi, living life “normally” can be extremely difficult for half of the year. Because these patients often cannot go outside without triggering an attack or episode, it’s imperative that the patient maintains their wellness from the comfort of their own home. But metered-dose inhalers (MDI) are frequently misused by patients, leading to uncontrolled asthma that comes with life-threatening risk. When this irreversible event occurs, the patient’s provider will often increase their MDI dosage or prescribe a more powerful medication.

When a patient is experiencing a breathing episode, they face difficulty in correctly administering their MDI because it requires hand-lung coordination, proper inhalation, and physical dexterity. But if you’ve ever used an inhaler, you know that there is no feedback to show that you administered the inhaler correctly or effectively. You have to wait a minute or so to see if breathing got easier for you. As a result, it’s easy to forget a step or become overwhelmed by the fear that you’re unable to breathe correctly.

The most common trend over time for the patient is to underuse the MDI, which requires excess use of rescue medication and increases the risk of a serious or life-threatening episode. Providers cannot go off of the patient’s recall memory about how well they used their MDI; it’s been shown that patients tend to misremember how well they administered their MDI medication. But new MDIs provide some hope: they can measure and monitor how much of the medication is reaching the patient’s lungs, how the device is being used, and under what circumstances the patient needed their MDI. With this data available, the patient’s provider can tailor their training, device selection, and messaging to the specific patient’s needs. The provider can even make changes to what device they prescribe for future patients.

Keeping up with Therapy at Home

Because the very nature of IoT is to generate data in real-time without any sort of break from monitoring machines, the data should help patients and providers become more communicative, more empathetic, and more understanding. No patient wants to end up in the emergency room for underusing their medication, and IoT can help patients avoid the risk of becoming hospitalized by creating a more transparent patient experience and by alerting providers sooner.

The healthcare industry is embracing emerging technologies at an unprecedented rate. Consequently, it’s an exciting time for medical app developers, investors, physicians, and patients. But which technologies should you keep a close eye on? Here are the advancements you can expect to see in the next few years.

1. Holistic Cloud Integration

The collection of digital data is obviously vital to the advancement of modern healthcare. But how you share this information is perhaps more important to the success of your endeavors.

More than 90% of medical institutions are hosting applications through the cloud. But this usage of the cloud is fragmented. Look around and you’ll find that health organizations are applying the cloud in data hosting, clinical apps, and backing up their systems. But keeping these discrete initiatives separate forms silos, which in turn limits the potential functionality of the data.

Cloud integration enables healthcare facilities to open up their silos and connect the dots in their data. Tom Lawry, Microsoft’s Director for AI in Health and Life Sciences, thinks this will eventually transform the medical field. “The transformation that’s brought about by the cloud and bringing that data together allows for all kinds of interesting things,” he says. “That to us is the number one transformational aspect going forward for the next few years.”

2. Better Infrastructure = Accessible Healthcare

COVID-19 has shined a light on how essential telehealth and remote patient monitoring are, especially for those with chronic health conditions. And for many people in the United States, these avenues of medicine are often the most convenient and practical to use.

“A majority of this country is still rural,” explains Rhonda Collins, the Chief Nursing Officer at Vocera. Collins is also the Founder of the American Nurse Project. “So, we need to rely on technology to fill gaps in human connections in healthcare-telehealth will be more important going forward, as infrastructure and technology continue to improve.”

Before telehealth came along, it could be difficult to find proper treatment for a malady if you weren’t living in a substantially populated area like New York City or Los Angeles. This conundrum becomes a much more grave matter when you consider that 50% of US counties contain people that have high chronic disease occurrences and a great need for better broadband connectivity. That’s equitable to over 36 million people.

Poor internet connectivity undoubtedly makes remote consultations with doctors extremely difficult. But Collins believes the situation is improving. Eventually, it will become readily apparent to all that telehealth technology will be an invaluable tool for those living in remote or rural regions. But there’s still some work to be done.

An August 2018 Healthline survey found that 46% of Medicare Advantage members were not sure if telehealth was a viable option for them. If that wasn’t troubling enough, 37% of the survey respondents believed it wasn’t available for them, even though it was.

To make this issue worse, numerous hospitals are still contending with inconsistent Wi-Fi and cellular service. In turn, this impedes telehealth services. “These basic issues make it very difficult to bring technology in to provide extraordinary care and connectivity to all patients everywhere,” says Collins. “Infrastructure upgrades are a must, and that should be the focus of many hospitals, so they can leverage great technologies that improve the lives of patients and clinicians alike.”

We have no doubt that these infrastructure upgrades will arrive with time. As noted before, COVID-19 has accelerated our usage of telehealth offerings. Let’s hope that these services become even more ubiquitous in the near future.

3. Accelerated AI Adoption

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) has been a game-changer for several industries, and healthcare is no exception. But all of the use cases we’ve seen so far for this field will pale in comparison to what’s to come.

A July 2018 survey of 200 medical professionals by Intel found 37% of participants to be applying AI in limited ways. 54% of them believed that AI will see widespread adoption by 2023. For John Doyle, the Director of Global Business Strategy for Microsoft Healthcare, this adoption translates to AI affecting all aspects of a medical institution’s workflow.

Doyle believes that medical image analysis, dataset interpretation, clinical workflows, and real-time insights from medical sensor data name just a few factors that will be impacted by AI. As a result, it’s safe to assume that AI will disrupt how healthcare providers engage with patients and streamline various complicated processes.

4. Consumer-Centric Workflows

Over the next decade, Collins hopes that healthcare will adopt more technologies that the average consumer is accustomed to.

Today, a hospital employee can make dinner reservations, converse with friends, and purchase event tickets from their phones, all in just 15 minutes before their shift. But the technology landscape of their workplace is a stark contrast. Collins fears that this difference could deter younger generations from working in the field.

“When millennials go to work at a hospital, we are asking doctors, nurses and care teams to step back 20 years and use landline phones, fax machines, pagers, and overhead calls — all of which downgrade and add complexity to our millennial workforce,” Collins explains. “… As younger people continue to enter the workforce, many hospitals will be forced to modernize.”

We don’t know about you, but the thought of relying on fax machines for medical work today frightens us! Here’s hoping that Collins’ predictions come true sooner rather than later.

5. More Personalized Medical Care

Emerging technologies like machine learning, AI, and blockchain are destined to augment the abilities of clinicians in the next 10 years. According to Dr. Anil Jain, the VP and Chief Health Information Officer of IBM Watson Health, this will lead to more personalized specialized care for patients.

Jain says, “The biggest thing is going to be our ability to use these advanced technology enablers to get much better at doing personalized medicine and personalized healthcare with our patients.” Leveraging these technological capabilities on the back-end will enable providers to seamlessly and swiftly account for crucial data such as genomic profiles and social determinants of health.

According to Jain, more personalized treatment options will likely increase care plan adherence, especially for those suffering from chronic conditions. It will also cut out the back-and-forth usually involved in evidence-based approaches; physicians will likely see higher success rates in the first set of treatments offered.

What Medical Tech Excites You?

We hope you’ve enjoyed this brief glimpse into the future of healthcare technology! In truth, this list only scratches the surface of the myriad changes that technology will bring to the field of medicine.

What technological advancements are you excited to see in healthcare? Which developments should be covered in a future article of ours? As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

When Dogtown Media first opened its doors in 2011, we knew that wearables were something special; it was immediately obvious that these devices held immense potential for improving how we interact with medical apps and our own health. Since those early days, we’ve striven to keep up and innovate with the latest developments in this technology.

And it appears our hard work is paying off — TopDevelopers.co has recognized Dogtown Media as a leading wearable app developer!

Over the past few years, it’s been a pleasure to watch the growth of the wearables market. The sharp increase in the usage of wearable devices has been accompanied by numerous possibilities being opened up for medicine. This technology is no longer just for simple fitness tracking. Wearables can now give you a holistic perspective of your health.

Such insights enable anyone to take control of their health and shine a light on better ways for doctors to manage medical maladies. These advantages are priceless. But perhaps most surprising is that this is just the tip of the iceberg of what wearables are capable of; expect the features of these devices to expand in a multitude of ways over the next few years.

TopDevelopers.co evaluated numerous wearable app developers to identify the pioneers in this field. Ultimately, they had to trim down their list to organizations with substantial experience in this niche and a long history of consistent client satisfaction. It’s an absolute honor that our Los Angeles-based development studio made the cut!

Besides being dubbed a top wearable app developer, Dogtown Media was also recently named a top U.S. mobile app developer by TopDevelopers.co. We were also fortunate to be lauded as one of California’s leading app developers by Clutch!

At a time where it has become readily apparent that more medical innovation is sorely needed, we’re proud to say that we’ll keep on trying our best to push the boundaries of what’s possible with wearable technology.

Thanks so much to TopDevelopers.co for recognizing us. We’d also like to thank our clients, team, and community — we couldn’t have done it without you!

Who is TopDevelopers.co?

TopDevelopers.co is a widely respected directory and review platform for B2B IT service providers. They take a neutral approach to analyzing companies. The team of analysts at TopDevelopers.co vets organizations through stringent parameters which ensure that only the most competitive firms, businesses, enterprises, and entrepreneurs are filtered through their process. This helps service seekers find the most appropriate solutions for their needs.

As we roll into the 2020s, we’re looking forward to how technology is going to vastly improve healthcare, and more specifically, the patient experience. Before the turn of the decade, we saw several new tech trends that will be implemented in the coming years. In this first part of our healthcare tech trends series, we’ll cover how artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), electronic health records (EHRs), 5G, blockchain, and chatbots will transform our medical experiences — and unlock a healthier future for us all.

The Promise of AI and ML

The rapid development of AI and ML are allowing us to apply these innovative emerging technologies to healthcare already; every year, the impact these two fields are making on healthcare grows larger. From automating patient follow-up and appointment-setting to enabling a robot to assist patients, AI has the potential to change and save lives.

Experts predict that consumers will eventually buy the latest AI-enabled healthcare apps to monitor and optimize their health without having to visit a doctor’s office.

But patients aren’t the only benefactors of AI in healthcare: therapists can use clinical AI robots to administer cognitive behavioral therapy, radiologists can employ AI to help them detect or dismiss health conditions, and robots can reduce paperwork for administrators. When providers and administrators experience time savings, patients wait less, services cost less, and diagnoses can become more accurate.

Improving EHRs

Patient medical records are currently in a disarray. In the US, if you move out of state, there’s a good chance that your new provider will be using a different EHR system than your previous provider.

These records come in a wide variety of forms that contain different facets of information. For example, EHRs contain general patient information, treatment plans, diagnoses, progress notes, surgery results, lab results, outcomes, and much more. The information could be attached as audio, video, or a piece of paper.

In the 2020s, experts want to see providers move to common EHRs so patients can seamlessly take their information to another doctor’s office. For medical professionals, EHRs save tons of time by allowing the provider to skip the usual basic questions and dig into other areas that may have been neglected in the past.

Patients can be reached through text and email without a receptionist having to lift a finger. And best of all, EHRs can’t get lost, burned, or stolen by a malicious party. They’re built with enhanced levels of cybersecurity and access levels to prevent data theft.

Seamless 5G Connectivity

5G has only been implemented in a few select cities like Los Angeles, so we haven’t experienced the true benefits of this cellular technology within our healthcare system yet. But when it becomes more widespread, we’re going to see 5G become a turning point for healthcare IT infrastructure. Most people’s experience with hospital Wi-Fi is that it’s either non-existent or mind-numbingly slow.

With 5G, a hospital can truly become connected. Remotely monitoring patients in real-time, paging doctors immediately when something doesn’t look right, and faster loading speeds for those huge medical image files are some of the first improvements 5G will bring.

Down the line, ambulances en-route can send the emergency room staff the patient’s EHR without any latency issues, families can monitor their loved ones without the risk of contaminating their hospital room, and a concierge robot can keep you posted about your loved ones’ vitals, rather than you having to bug a very busy nurse.

Imagine using a 5G network to remotely train physicians for surgery and administration, a remote surgery taking place internationally on a 5G network, and AI working in real-time to analyze patients across the entire hospital.

It’s difficult to predict exactly how we’ll use 5G over the next decade, but experts expect 5G to completely transform several aspects of the patient experience.

Implementing Blockchain

Blockchain is a trendy technology that many people dismissed as an overhyped paradigm that didn’t hold much potential for medical applications. But because blockchains have built-in anonymity and security, it turns out that it’s actually the perfect technology to implement in healthcare.

Using blockchain to secure EHRs would create records of who accessed which record at what time. It anonymizes EHRs so that hackers can’t steal personal or identifiable information using cryptography.

One of blockchain’s best features is that peer networks copy blockchains in real-time, so if the original blockchain was ever corrupted, deleted, or stolen, there are multiple copies of the blockchain living on different networks that hold the truth.

Intuitive, Personable Chatbots

Chatbots are already improving by the day. Whereas we used to give a chatbot our email address so a human could contact us, they’re now coded and routinely optimized with answers to common questions and issues.

Chatbots in the healthcare industry can provide a great source of comfort and information to patients and their families. They offer empathy and emotional support to patients. Patient-only chatbots track the patient’s health, connect the patient to clinicians for diagnosis and treatment options, and analyze the patient’s data. Other chatbots help rural patients deal with emergency situations and simpler medical issues with a walk-through-style conversation.

Revolutionizing the Healthcare Game

Healthcare is already a $200 billion industry. But the technologies we’ve discussed will expand the industry’s worth exponentially over the next few years.

In our next post, we’ll cover how computer vision and image recognition, wearables, virtual reality, telemedicine, and voice search are going to impact medicine and the patient experience in the 2020s. So stay tuned!

Have you seen any of these technologies implemented in a cool way at your doctor’s office or at your local hospital? Let us know in the comments below!

Female hand holding a smartphone with diet plan concept

Sometimes, you need to take a little time to take care of yourself. Luckily, mobile technology can give you a helping hand! Last week, we wrote about 5 amazing health and wellness apps that our team members are quite fond of. They ran the gamut from habit management to sustainable weight loss. In case you missed it, you can read the post here.

But let’s be honest — as healthcare app developers, we know that 5 is far too small of a number to cover the amazing products available in this space. It would be a shame not to give some of the other wonderful apps available right now a moment in the spotlight.

After many debates, we were able to trim down our tremendous pool of candidates to another list of just 5 apps that we think you should consider trying. Check them out below. Here’s to a healthier future for all!

1. Smoke Free: Breathe Easier (iOS, Android)

Quitting smoking can be hard; 95% of people who try to quit without participating in a cessation program fail. It’s clear that ample motivation and support are needed. Smoke Free helps deter you from lighting up by tracking your cravings and progress. And it certainly seems to work — this app has been scientifically proven to double your chances of quitting smoking!

Smoke Free’s secret weapon is data science. After gathering enough information, the app tells you exactly how much money you’ve saved by kicking your smoking habit. Smoke Free also monitors your oxygen, blood pressure, and carbon monoxide levels so that you can watch them improve over time. It’s no wonder this app has been downloaded over four million times.

Why We Love Smoke Free

• Doubles your chances of quitting smoking
• Watch your health improve
• See how much money you save

2. Drinkaware: Cut Down Your Alcohol Consumption (iOS, Android)

From celebrations to quick catchups, there are always excuses for drinking nowadays. Similar to Smoke Free’s effect on lighting up, Drinkaware helps keep alcohol consumption in check.

Concept of online medical healthcare services, shows smartphone app with Asian male doctor smiling, telehealth, telemedicine video call

Drinkaware comes with a unit and calorie calculator so you know exactly how much you’ve imbibed. The app is also equipped with a self-assessment tool that allows you to review your drinking patterns and set new health goals.

Perhaps most pertinently, Drinkaware records each dollar you spend on alcohol. That means you’ll never indulge too much at the expense of your wallet.

Why We Love Drinkaware

• Easily moderate your drinking
• Personalized feedback
• Cut alcohol costs

3. Headspace: Making Meditation Mainstream (iOS, Android)

In today’s attention-hungry digital world, it’s more important than ever before to give yourself some peace of mind. Co-founded by former Buddhist monk Andy Puddicombe, Headspace is an app that provides guided meditation and mindfulness training. And all it takes is ten minutes a day!

If you’re wrestling with stress, sleeplessness, or anxiety, the Los Angeles-based developers of Headspace have hundreds of sessions available on their product to help you out. And if ten minutes is too long, it offers shorter sessions. Users report benefits such as better attention span, alertness, and of course, more mindfulness.

Why We Love Headspace

• Mindfulness made easy
• Tailored for busy lives
• Brings calm to life’s chaos

4. MindBody: Exercise Anywhere (iOS, Android)

Want to work out, but don’t want to leave your house? MindBody has got you covered! This app brings virtual workouts and wellness services to your fingertips.

Whether you’re looking for a local community instructor or a world-renowned coach, MindBody lets you browse and book classes in Pilates, yoga, meditation, Tabata, and more. You can participate in these sessions in your living room or wherever you happen to be. It’s also worth noting that they constantly have deals on last-minute appointments!

Why We Love MindBody

• Virtual workouts for anyone, anywhere
• Huge variety of services offered
• Easy wearables integration

5. 8fit: A Wellness App for Workouts and Nutrition (iOS, Android)

App marketplaces are brimming with options for health and wellness apps. But few rival 8fit; this fitness and nutrition companion is perfect for digital minimalists.

If you’re not keen on joining a gym or spending hours searching for healthy recipes, we can’t recommend 8fit enough. This app offers efficient workouts and healthy, personalized meals in one elegant package. You can track milestones and tailor your fitness regimen to your liking. And in case you’re not Gordon Ramsay, the app also provides easy-to-follow instructions for its health-focused meals.

Why We Love 8fit

• Declutter your phone — no need for multiple fitness and recipe apps
• Centralize your favorite recipes and workouts
• Personalize your path to a healthier lifestyle

These Wellness Apps Pave the Way to a Healthier Future

We hope you’ve enjoyed another list of our favorite health and wellness apps! These options certainly vary in terms of application. But they do have a few vital factors in common:

1. Each app’s interface is incredibly simple to use.
2. Rich customization empowers users to personalize the app for their goals.
3. Data connects the dots between your actions and goals.

Mobile technology is capable of so much more than just talking and texting. These apps allow you to take control of your health and wellness in unprecedented ways. Try them out today!