Now that health is becoming increasingly digitized and the focus of everyone’s attention at the same time, aspiring software developers and business owners alike have every reason to be considering the promising prospect of contributing to this process. Indeed, software products in healthcare and life sciences appear to combine economic and humanitarian potential like few other goods and services do. The responsibility associated with this area is also perceived as considerably higher than average, though, causing a lot of indecision among creative minds.
The sphere of health-related software development has become so highly specialized that you can find organizations that bear the designation of a healthcare app development company. This article will guide you on your journey to launching a healthcare software project or improving your established practices while pointing out the most common pitfalls on the way.
Define Your Project
Just like any other enterprise, making an application should begin with you coming up with a clear definition of what it is going (and, sometimes even more importantly, not going) to be. Having a great idea is where everything starts. However, you won’t likely be able to convert it into a quality healthcare app unless you determine the scope of your project as well as the way in which it is going to stand out.
Consider the following before you launch any software project in health and life sciences:
- The primary goal of your project: Beginning with the end in mind is the time-tested approach to pretty much any undertaking that many software developing companies swear by. Think of what you want to achieve through your app before you start working on it.
- Your target audience: By defining the population that you are going to cater to, you can eliminate a lot of mistakes which could ruin a great idea. Such as producing an interface that doesn’t fit your user profile because it’s too complicated or takes too much time to navigate for the sake of “fancy” appearance. If it’s the patient who is going to benefit from the app, make sure the part of your interface that faces them is highly intuitive. For health professionals, make things as clear and efficient as possible. The complexity that might be welcome if you are working with a healthcare organization as your primary beneficiary won’t be an advantage in either case. This will also facilitate your decision-making when it comes to the unique selling proposition.
- Your unique selling proposition: Given how claustrophobic the healthcare app market has become recently, your project will stand no chance of survival without being distinct. That is to say, you have to offer your audience a combination of features that’s in demand but unavailable at present.
- What are some rival applications, and how is your product going to differ from each: Quite apart from the USP above, you need to make sure that your software doesn’t look, sound, or feel too much like existing solutions. The extent to which it should stand out is, of course, a matter of your target audience and purpose, but be prepared to answer numerous questions starting with, “How’s this app different from?..” Say, you are trying to introduce an electronic medical records system. That’s great, but why would a healthcare organization choose your product over dozens of others? Possible answers include but aren’t limited to improved compatibility, integration, and navigation.
Finding the answers to all these is likely to be both challenging and time-consuming. However, this is the best strategy for sparing yourself a bumpy start that could ruin your entire journey.
Think Out Your Procedure
When you have your blueprint, make sure you also plan the way you are going to bring it to life. The actual creation of an app is usually accompanied by constant testing and debugging as well as looking for data protection solutions that will work best in your setting. The latter is essential not only fot working with electronic medical records but for most healthcare related applications regardless of their target audience. If you are building an app to foster cooperation between healthcare professionals/organizations and their customers, you will need to ensure confidentiality and efficient data exchange at the same time. This is a vital consideration because non-compliance will almost automatically lead to shutdown, if not prosecution, and colossal losses.
Speaking of legal complications, you need to think about scaling beforehand, taking into account any potential legislation conflicts. If you want to make a universal e-prescription app, you want to make sure it doesn’t violate the law of one of your markets. While it’s true that there has to be a lot of research behind ambitious projects like this, don’t get it wrong: simpler ideas may also prove challenging in certain jurisdictions. Extensive (and often expensive) market research is a must when it comes to growing.
Maintenance is also part and parcel of a good application. Think beforehand about the way you are going to support your users and act on the feedback that they provide, and remember to resist the temptation that you might feel to break the development cycle and sacrifice testing for the sake of speed.
Build an App That Will Truly Serve Your Audience
The next step to take after you have defined your project’s scope and possible challenges, as well as the procedure to stick to while working on it, is naturally to proceed. One thing to be prepared for at this stage is unpredicted issues. Even with almost-perfect planning, there’s most likely going to be part of the development process that hasn’t been covered.
It’s essential to collect feedback from your target audience and act upon it as soon as possible. A lot of research can go into obtaining the information you need to make your health app beneficial to your target audience, whether it’s individual patients, professionals, or organizations. However, ignoring the deficiencies reported would surely defeat its purpose, which is to serve your customers’ best interests.
Online Threat Alerts Security Tips
Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.
Guard your personal information
In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.
Be careful of the information you share
Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with
Know who you’re dealing with
Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.
Check your accounts
Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.
Don’t believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.
Do not open email from people you don’t know
If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
Think before you click
If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.
Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond
If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.
Be careful with links and new website addresses
Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.
Secure your personal information
Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
Stay informed on the latest cyber threats
Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.
Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are critical to online security.
Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs
Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.
Update the operating systems on your electronic devices
Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.
What if You Got Scammed?
Stop Contact With The Scammer
Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.
Secure Your Finances
- Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
- Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
Check Your Computer
If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.
Change Your Account Passwords
Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.
Report The Scam
Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.
Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:
- Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
- Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
- Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.
How To Recognize a Phishing Scam
Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.
Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
- want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
- say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
- offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real
About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.
By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.
With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.
Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.
Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).