How to Develop a Pill Reminder or Medication Tracker App?

Health is Wealth!………… You might have heard this proverb many times. But applying it in our day-to-day lives is still not an easy task. With our hectic lifestyles, many of us ignore the importance of fitness, and thus it leads to some serious health issues. But thanks to the advanced technology and budding apps that have so much to keep a track of our health and medication.

Earlier people could only plan and monitor their diets and exercise through fitness tracking apps, but in past few years, the integration of technology and mobile apps has resulted in a boon for people as now they can track not only their health but their medication as well with the help of medicine reminder mobile app.

The health and fitness sector has seen tremendous growth with the introduction of some innovative and efficient mobile apps and wearable techs for needy people developed by companies that provide efficient healthcare app development services. As a result of the pandemic, masses have been so much concerned for their own as well as loved ones’ health and wellbeing. They have started to keep a track of their fitness, exercise, food intake as well as medication by using these technology-driven mobile apps.

It is the human tendency that many times we forget to take our medicines on time. The reason behind it is not only our busy schedules but the old-age factor, work pressure, interruption in daily routine, fall asleep, etc. because of which people skip their medicines and face health complexities. As per the data, a total of 75% of people in America does not follow their medication routine and thus the number of deaths is approximately 125,000 per year that are the result of the medication nonadherence.

Though, the integration of technology is somehow solving this issue to an extent. Presently some companies provide doctor on demand app development solutions, & with the help of these apps, businesses can create a bridge between the doctors and the patients who need medical attention.

With the introduction of the pill reminder mobile app, people are taking much better care of their health, and also, they do not forget their prescribed doses. Such advanced solutions have been so much beneficial for elderly people as these apps work as a human alarm and contribute a lot to keep them safe and healthy. In this article, you will get to know all minute details associated with the pill reminder and medication tracker apps.

Market Stats of Pill Reminder Mobile Apps

When it comes to one’s medical history and health issues, usually people avoid answering such questions and sharing details. But it may cause disturbance in their medication as in such cases they tend to forget their daily doses. Following are some of the stats related to the use of these medication tracker mobile apps:

1. Based on Age

Following are the stats indicating the percentage of U.S. people based on their age who are likely to use the mobile app for medication tracking as of the year 2017.

The above graph illustrates the outcome of a survey where 7% of the total respondents use these types of apps regularly. This percentage is from the age group 18 to 29 years. And on the other hand, only 2% of respondents of the age group 61 years and above use such apps regularly.

2. Based on Gender

Below graphical presentation shows the percentage of U.S. male and female respondents who are likely to make use of these medication and pill tracking apps as of the year 2017.

The above chart indicates that 5% of total male and 6% of total female respondents use these types of apps regularly to track medication and illness.

3. Based on Community

Following are the stats indicating the percentage of U.S. residents based on community who are likely to use the app for medication and illness tracking as of the year 2017.

The above stats show the result of a survey where 5% of total rural and suburban and 6% of total urban-dwelling respondents are using these types of apps regularly to track medication and illness.

Scope Of On-Demand Pill Reminder Tracker Apps to Keep People Healthy

As per the data, approximately 45.7% of the U.S. population is likely to have at least 1 prescription drug in thirty days. This data suggests the need for medication tracking and pill reminder mobile apps in the market. If people in any case forget to take their prescribed medicines, then there are high chances that they may suffer from major ailments.

In some cases, the severity is too high that leads to hospitalization or even death. Therefore, there has been realized a sudden increase in the demand for pill reminder app development services.

These apps not only help people to overcome their non-adherence issues but also help them to maintain a regular check on their health and medical conditions. In the maximum of the applications developed, the medication reminder app development company integrates a feature through which the family members can also connect with the app and thus keep an eye over the proper medication of their loved ones.

How do the Pill Reminder Apps Work?

The primary business model on which pill reminder apps are based comprises B2C as well as B2B. The owners of these apps usually have a direct collaboration with the pharmaceutical companies, health insurers, drug retailers, and health care providers so that patient engagement can be increased. The primary area where the app work is to reduce the level of non-adherence and try to help people to be cautious and regular enough in taking their prescribed drugs.

At present, there are many on-demand medication tracker app development companies that are actively working in the market to build apps that can help businesses to cater to the needs of the users. These apps have a very simplified working model as there are very limited steps that are needed to be followed including downloading the app, adding medication, setting reminders, and receiving alerts. There is also a feature of snooze where people can get reminders again and again till the user does not mark it as taken.

The users need to create an account where their data is stored on the app’s cloud platform. It allows the users to log in to their account from some other device if in case their mobile phone is lost or not working. The data will be accessible to the users in those cases as well. The users also have an option to connect with their family members as well as friends.

So, this is how the app works. Now let’s have a look at the key features of a med tracker app.

Features of Pill Reminder Apps

Following are some of the key features of a medication tracker app that can help you to understand how the app functions:

• Smart Reminders

Smart reminders are the notifications that alert you about your medication. These notifications keep on ringing till the time the user marked the dosage reminder as taken. One of the advanced functions of this feature allows postponing of the medication intake. These alerts are helpful for people with busy schedules in making them reminded about their medication.

• Digital Scheduling

With this feature, the users can create daily, weekly, and monthly schedules of their medication by providing the entire data. It includes information such as the no. of dosages, description, name of the medicines, and timing.

• Nearest Medical Store

With this feature, users can find the nearest store where the prescribed medicine is available. App development companies provide this advanced feature where they even integrate a map for easy navigation. Currently, companies provide efficient medicine delivery app development services so that people can meet their demands for medicines with ease.

• Prescription Renewal Alerts

This feature helps the users in a great way as it alerts them about the time for their prescriptions to get refilled.  Notifications are received by the users where they get a form to refill with their current prescribed medication. As a useful feature, some apps send the form directly to the assigned doctors to get the users’ prescriptions refilled.

• Pill Identifier

There are some medication management app development companies that build very user-friendly apps, where there is an option of uploading the image of medication. It makes it easier for the user to get fast results. But in a lot of medication tracking apps, the user is required to enter the details of the pills by themselves to fetch a database of medicines with the same characteristics.

• Notes Field

It is one of the most significant features where the users can enter specific instructions regarding the intake of medicines. Users can also mention particular recommendations provided by the doctors such as probable side-effects, maximum no. of dosage to be taken, etc.

• Reports

This feature allows the users to send their daily, weekly, or monthly medical progress reports to the assigned nurses or doctors. This feature helps the users to get proper assistance and have a strict check on their medical condition.

• Sync Reminders

With this feature, the users can sync their smartwatches with these smart reminders that eliminate the need to carry the mobile phone all the time. A notification will appear on your smartwatch to help you remind about the medication.

• Reminder Sound

This feature allows the users to set a specific sound for their medication. They can set even different sounds for different dosages. Therefore, this functionality makes it convenient for the users to use the app.

• Reminder List

This functionality helps the users to get a list of all the remaining reminders of a particular day so that they can plan the schedule accordingly.

• Track Health

With this functionality, the users can keep a check on their health by tracking their heart rate, weight, blood pressure, steps taken, etc. This helps them to avoid any major health complication. There are some medication tracker app development companies that provide this advanced feature where users can track other health-related activities for more efficient outcomes.

• Medication Progress Reports

This feature helps the users to know how much they have recovered and progressed. It assists them to find out whether the medication is effective or not and what steps they need to take to get better results.

Leading Pill Reminder and Medication Tracking Mobile Apps

The on-demand pill reminder app development market is one of the most lucrative markets when it comes to technology-driven business ideas. People need smartphones and mobile apps for almost their every minute work. Thus, to remain healthy and avoid non-adherence towards medication, people have started using these pill reminder mobile apps.

Following are some of the leading market players who provide users with medication tracking services via the most efficient features:

Types of Pill Reminder Mobile Apps

Presently, there are 3 types of dedicated pill reminder and medication tracker apps available in the market. Let’s discuss them in detail:

• SMR- Simple Medication Reminder Apps

These types of medication apps are the primary ones with basic features. They allow the users to have access to functionalities like customized scheduling and pill reminder alerts. Businesses hire iOS app developers from an app development company to launch the app on the iOS platform and if they need to launch on the Android platform then they hire Android app developers.

• AMR- Advanced Medication Reminder Apps

These types of medication apps are intermediate-level apps with some advanced functions. They allow the users to have access to all the SMR features along with functionalities like missed and late dosage tracker, medication image uploader, user notes creator, and time zone support.

• MMA- Medication Management Apps

These types of medication apps are the premium level apps that comprises features of both SMR apps and AMR apps. As well as there are certain other functionalities that the users have access to comprises health data storage, creating multiple accounts, and information sharing with physicians. Several businesses hire mobile app developers from an experienced company to get such high-level apps.

Benefits of Pill Reminder Mobile Apps

The pill reminder and medication tracker apps can benefit users in numerous ways. Following are some of the major advantages of using these apps:

• The medication tracking apps provide user-friendly and easy-to-use features that make medication scheduling a simple task.
• When any person is prescribed multiple dosages then there are multiple times when patients consume incorrect medicines or there are cases when they skip their dosages out of confusion or busy schedules. These mobile apps set automatic reminders that help users to intake correct dosages and on time.
• These apps also help in the successful refilling of the prescriptions. Many times, patients forget and thus end up with insufficient dosages. But these apps refill the prescriptions so that the supply of dosages does not run out of stock.
• These apps also allow the users to have access to their medication history. In case of emergency or change in medication, this data is of high significance.
• The medication schedule app development companies build apps that allow the users to edit their medication schedule at any point of time as per the change in the no. of dosages or medicines.
• These pill reminder mobile apps offer customizable options to the users. The users are likely to get notifications according to their preferences, such as they can receive it in the form of ring, text, pop-up, or vibrate.

Tech Stack for Pill Reminder App

Following is the tech stack required to create a proficient pill reminder app:

Development Process of a Pill Reminder Mobile App

In this section, you will get to know about how to create a pill reminder app. Here are the significant steps involved in the development process which further helps in determining the cost to create an app:

Step 1: Market Research & Discover

It is the first step in the app development process where in-depth market research is performed to identify which features and functionalities should be part of the app. In this phase, it is analyzed what the competitors are offering and which markets are still left behind to target. After performing market research, the businesses can create a plan for how to start with the app development and designing to meet the user needs.

Step 2: App Designing

There are two primary aspects in the UI/UX step that needs consideration i.e., to make the prototype ready and app design. The reason to create a prototype is to test users and see if there is any need for improvement or changes in the pill reminder app. It is also essential that the app design must be user-friendly & appealing so that the users can get attracted to it.

Step 3: App Development

Once the app design is completed and the prototype is successfully verified, the next step on which the developers will switch is the app development phase.  In this step, the development team works upon the integration of plugins, tech stack, compliances, etc.

Step 4: App Launch

This step will take the least time as the app is now ready for launch after all the testing and improvements. The app will be deployed on the selected platform for which it is made i.e., either Google Play or App Store. If it is a cross-platform app, then it will be launched on both the platforms. The app will have to go through an approval process, once the approval is given, the app will be launched successfully.

Step 5: Maintenance

Once the app is launched on its dedicated platform, then it is time for maintenance where the support and assistance are offered to the clients whenever required. This support and maintenance are a never-ending phase as there are new features that are being added from time to time, updates, operating issues, as well as chat support. Therefore, this phase runs simultaneously with the app.

How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Pill Reminder App?

While calculating the cost to build a platform like Medisafe, multiple factors are needed to be considered. The actual cost to develop a pill reminder app depends upon the following factors:

• App functionalities and advanced features
• Compliances & Certifications
• The geographical location of the app development company
• Development team size
• Chosen App Platform
• Third-party API Integrations

Other than the above-mentioned factors, there are a few other aspects also that play a vital role in calculating the cost. For example, the tech stack and duration of the project. If the tech stack used is too advanced and innovative then the pill reminder-medication tracker app development cost tends to increase.

The average pill reminder app development cost ranges from $25,000-$30,000 if it is developed on a single platform with some basic features whereas, if the app is integrated with advanced features and is developed for both the platforms i.e., Android and iOS, then the medication tracker app development cost ranges from $50,000-$60,000.

Required Medical Compliance for a Pill Reminder Mobile App

While launching a pill reminder or medication tracking app, there is a need that the app complies with the following:

• Guidelines by Health and Human Services (HHS)
• HL7: Health Level 7 Standards
• FDA Policy for the Regulation of Computer Products: Mobile Medical Applications
• FDA Policy for Medical Apps
• HIPAA: Health Apps
• EPSC Certification

Conclusion

Pill reminder apps are a big hit in today’s time as with the increase in health issues people are more concerned about their fitness and proper medication. To meet these demands for mobile apps, there are available plenty of medicine reminder app development companies. They offer both Android app development and iOS app development services. Businesses as per their budget and requirement decide for which platform, they require app developers.

If you are also looking for a healthcare solution, then you must contact a well-reputed company that provides healthcare app development services at an affordable price. The developed apps also need medical compliances; thus, you must find a professional company that can manage all such work.

We hope this article has answered your queries about how to create a medicine reminder app and has also provided you with all the necessary details required for developing a pill reminder app. With the continuous integration of technology and mobile apps, there is a vast scope for various other app developments in the healthcare sector such as medicine delivery app development, doctor on-demand app development, and many more.

If you are also looking for pill reminder app development services, then you can check the varied services of SemiDot Infotech as it includes best practices and advanced technology that helps deliver highly responsive mobile apps.