Source: Medical SEO.USA

11 SEO tips on promoting and advertizing medical applications for iPhone:

- don’t forget that the time when people were buying applications just because it was published in Apple App Store, has already gone;

- when choosing the category, it is better to publish the application (as the main category) in “Healthcare”, rather than in “Medical” (which is less popular);

- stable sales of application can be secured only through its promotion on theme- related  websites, search optimization within Apple App Store and for the main search engines (Google);

- don’t give yourself a trouble and create (or order) a small, convenient press-release for fast publication (40-second video on YouTube, brief description of application, few screenshots) and send it to authors of medical (around 60) and other blogs, websites; at least some of them will show interest in your application (publications in blogs increase the sales significantly). Moreover, a post with your application increases its rating in search engines (when sorting the search results);

- the higher the quality and the clearer the video and press-release of your application are, the higher probability that information about it will be published on popular websites and blogs;

- even medical applications should attract with its design and graphical interface. Graphical interface must be simple and user-friendly. People will pay more for such product than for a “miserly application, without design and destined for specialists in the medicine”.

- it is better to create a separate page for each application (and sometimes an individual website) to effectively promote in the search engines;

- description of the application in Apple App Store must be as brief and clear as possible at first glance; do not let the user to think a lot about your spatial reflections with heaps of medical terms, before he or she buys your application;

- it is better not to promote the application for a mass user on medical websites (the target group of medical websites is relatively small, while the rent is rather high);

- before buying the development do not forget to undertake a research of the similar applications from your competitors; most probably your idea is not unique anymore, since about 30 new applications are published everyday in the “Medical” + “Healthcare” sections of Apple App Store.

- Conceptualize the advertisement and promotion BEFORE buying the development of application, rather than after.  This will help you to add to application the functions which are sometimes critical for its success before drafting the final estimate of the development (modifying is more costly after development has begun, than before it started).

The review is prepared by
specialists of The VIactivity LLC and The MedicalSEO.US Project
(development and promotion of mobile applications)

For the purposes of developing an iPhone medical project we analyzed various parameters of all commercial applications in Top-100 of “Medical” and “Healthcare” sections (200 applications; February 1, 2010).

Some of the data is published here, since it can be useful to readers of our blog.

Functionality and sophistication of applications in section “Medical” (Top-100)

The most popular price: $0.99 (35%)

Average price in TOP-100: $4.38

The average price in Top-10: $2.29 (the most optimal price for new applications).

Conclusions

- low quality of the most of applications can probably explained by either unqualified developers (“student’s quality”) or the fact that developers don’t understand the specificity of medical applications and can’t modify them properly for iPhone;

- the main mistake of new developers: charging an exorbitantly high prices per simple applications (most often $9.99), whereby the demand and total profit are minimal.

- customers are promised a valued result with the help of many applications which in reality can’t be derived on the basis of given data (in other words it is a deception of customer with respect to service’s quality);

- the section “Medical” contains relatively few projects with good ideas; mainly these are merely the databases or catalogues of audio/video materials, without adaptation etc (71%);

- applications don’t use the business model of subscriptions(”In App Purchases”) and various additional features of the phone (sensors, camera etc);

The data analysis suggests that section “Medical” still has to get its “medical killer app” as  a result  of effective cooperation between highly skilled doctors and experienced developers of mobile applications.

In the next article we will similarly analyze section “Healthcare” of mobile applications for iPhone.

We also plan to monitor in the future the qualitative changes of applications in Top-100 of this section and will publish respective reports for our readers.

The review is prepared by
specialists of The Viactivity LLC
(development and promotion of mobile applications)

Go! / App Store

iMicroscope allows you to take photos through a microscope and produce professional quality calibrated images using your iPhone’s camera.

iMicroscope works with any iPhone. You simply position the camera above the microscope’s eyepiece where your eye would be and take a photograph. Calibration information is produced based on the magnification settings of the microscope. Please view the tutorial to the left for a full demonstration.

New medical apps last week in App Store(from 17/Jan – 22/Jan): ~ 44

We were selected these 3 new and noteworthy iPhone medical apps only:

1. Color Blind Aid

Go!/ App Store

The Color Blind Aid iPhone app enables people with red-green color blindness to detect red and green in their environment and pass color blindness tests in real-time using augmented reality technology.

2. MedSolve – Medical Calculator for Doctors, Nurses, and Medical Students

Go!/ App Store

This medical calculator consists of 54 solvers (actual calculators, not formulas) spanning a wide array of medical specialties. MedSolve is perfect for physicians, residents, medical students, nurses and other health care professionals for performing calculations on-the-go. Its simple, easy-to-use interface helps you calculate the values and scores you need quickly and accurately.

3. Eye Pro

Go!/ App Store

Eye Pro, the most advanced program for Ophthalmologists ever released on any mobile platform, now lands on the iPhone/ iPod Touch!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Cutting edge technology is now increasing the efficiency of nurses at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, Calif. Nurses and other point of care workers are now able to receive all of their voice, alarm, and text messages on their iPhones, thanks to Voalté’s first-of-its-kind healthcare application.

Voalté (nomenclature derived from Voice, Alarm, Text) consolidates all three functions on the versatile iPhone platform. The application enables users to send and receive text messages, make voice calls, and receive critical care alarms on the iPhone, providing faster response to patient needs.

“Our nurses were carrying hospital provided pagers, wireless phones, separate pagers designed to alert them of critical patient alarms….there were too many bells and beeps requiring attention, not to mention their pockets were literally overflowing with electronic devices,” said Ron Rutherford RN, Huntington’s director of informatics.

More info: link

New medical apps last week in App Store(from 9/Jan – 16/Jan): ~ 50

We were selected these 5 new and noteworthy iPhone medical apps only:

1. Handbook of Signs and Symptoms

Go! / App Store

Handbook of Signs and Symptoms is an authoritative reference that helps in recognizing patient signs and symptoms, linking them to their most probable causes, and putting them in context with associated findings.

2. Dog Medical Agenda

Go! / App Store

Here is an application that will enable you to keep track of and always have to hand all information relative to the health of your dogs: general information (such as breed, color, microchip information, …), vaccinations, physical examination, medications , allergies, diagnostic tests and results, …
This information could prove of great importance in a variety of everyday situations from a routine veterinarian check up, to any possible emergency situation.

3. iResQ

Go! / App Store

iResQ is the ideal tool for any Flight Paramedic/RN or Critical Care Transport provider. iResQ was developed using it’s predecessor, ResQShopPC as it’s core template. It will perform all of the functions of it’s predecessor, with the addition of greater functionality and a completely redesigned graphic user interface (GUI).

4. Procedures Consult: Family Medicine – General

Go! / App Store

Procedures Consult, the popular multimedia procedures training and reference solution for medical students, residents, and professionals from Elsevier is now available for the iPhone and iPod touch exclusively from Modality.

Procedures Consult features a dynamic blend of high-quality expert video, illustrations, animations and text that helps physicians, medical residents and students prepare for, perform and test their knowledge of the most common medical procedures encountered in a clinical setting.

5. AsthmaMD

Go!/ App Store

Quickly track, log, control you asthma.
View asthma diary, graph and medication used.
Share your asthma diary and charts with your physician.
Multiple users can use one device.
Share asthma history anonymously to help medical doctors with their asthma research.

The WakeMate, a sensor-laden wristband packaged with sleep analysis software, determines the optimal wake-up point in your REM cycle and adjusts your alarm for that moment. It also lets you say you really use your iPhone 24/7.

From the product page:
Problem: Traditional alarm clocks wake you at a random point in your sleep cycle, leaving you feeling groggy.
Solution: The WakeMate will analyze your sleep to find the optimal time for you to wake up. You will feel refreshed and energized every time you wake, even from naps!
Problem: After sleeping, you may still feel tired – you’re getting poor quality sleep without realizing why.
Solution: View a full analysis of your sleep on our Analytics Platform. You will receive personalized instructions on how to improve your sleep so you can have your best night’s sleep, every night.

Company: The WakeMate

Source: link

New medical apps last week in App Store(from 24/’Dec – 8/Jan): ~ 90.

We were selected these 5 new and noteworthy iPhone medical apps only:

1. Medilyzer / iphone medical software

Go!/App Store

The Medilyzer iPhone Application is a powerful OTC drug information tool that minimizes the health risks associated with OTC medications. This app gives users a handheld OTC product database including life-saving tools such as a drug interaction checker, OTC side effect information, and dosage instructions.

2. Differential Diagnosis i-pocket

Go!/App Store

The Differential Diagnosis pocket is a compact reference work
that provides the basic foundation for formulating a thorough list of differential diagnosis.
Completely updated 2nd edition
Contains over 800 lists of symptoms, physical signs and abnormal findings (including laboratory tests)
Keywords listed in alphabetical order for easy access
An invaluable resource for medical students entering the clinical years and a great reference source for residents and other medical professionals.
For students, residents, nurses and all other healthcare professionals.

3. iOffice Hours

Go! / App Store

Use your iPhone to view Medisoft Office Hours appointments for any of your datasets or providers. Day view or week view

4. Thinklabs Stethoscope App

Go! / App Store

RAPID, POWERFUL BEDSIDE/OFFICE AUSCULTATION TOOL
by Thinklabs – the world leader in Digital Stethoscopes
• RECORD heart, lungs, bruits, Korotkoff, bowel sounds
• DISPLAY & review sound waveforms in real time
• SAVE & RECALL recordings
• EMAIL sounds & images directly from patient exam
Now you can capture and display sounds is real time directly from your electronic stethoscope* to your iPhone or iPod Touch, providing a powerful tool for auscultation at the bedside, in the office, or remotely.

5. Renal Calculator

Go! / App Store

Compute renal calculations on the fly!

Features:
+ Fully searchable
+ Favorites feature
+ U.S. and S.I. units supported
+ Details of the equations that are calculated
+ Alphabetized index
+ Submission page for new calculators

Calculators:
+ Anion Gap & Delta Gap  + Corrected Calcium + Fractional Excretion of Na + Fractional Excretion of Urea
+ Free Water Deficit + GFR (Cockcroft-Gault) + GFR (MDRD) + Serum Osmolality

(Special interview for iPhone Medical Apps)

Voalté successfully integrated an interesting innovative iPhone-based clinical communications project in Sarasota Memorial Hospital in September 2009(link).

After 3 months, when it has become already possible to speak about real results of the project, we decided to address the Vice President of Innovation of Voalté, Trey Lauderdale, and ask him several questions. We believe that the answers on these items are interesting for professionals of the branch.

Q:  So, Trey, if it’s not difficult, let’s start with a couple of words about your company.
No problem.
Voalté helps improve hospital mobile point-of-care communication by providing a complete solution for voice, alarms and text messaging on a robust expandable platform – the Apple iPhone. We were started in Fall 2008 in Sarasota, Florida.

Q: Great! Now I would like to ask several questions directly about the introduced software solution. How can you characterize the results after two months of program integration in Sarasota Memorial Hospital?
The pilot of Voalté One has been an amazing success at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. I truly feel we were able to strike a win-win relationship with the organization and we were lucky to have such a great hospital in our backyard. We were able to learn an unbelievable amount from their caregivers and it has greatly helped to improve the functionality we are able to offer as a company to our end-users. It was also a win for SMH in that they were able to help shape the future of point-of-care communication on the iPhone and were able to leverage the advanced communication functionality we could offer to them with this innovative platform.

Q: Could you, please, mention the most interesting responses from the patients and the clinic staff as the main users?
One of the most interesting comments we received came from two separate patients the day of go-live at the pilot unit. Almost immediately we were able to drastically reduce overhead paging in the hospital. There were two different patients who had been in the nursing unit a few days, and separately, they both asked their nurses if everything was OK in the unit. The nurses said yes, and asked why. Both patients said they noticed the unit was so much quieter than the day before and wanted to make sure everything was alright.
Keeping the nursing floors quiet is unbelievably important to nurse management because it helps patients sleep and rest better which leads to better patient outcomes. We were thrilled to hear our solution was able to effect noise in and around the room the day of Go-live.

Q: it would be interesting for our readers to learn about the basic parameters of solution integration(integration terms; the budget, counted for the one user; requirements to the staff; whether it is necessary to carry out training etc.)
We provide a turn key solution to the hospital to get iPhone’s in at the point-of-care. Hospitals don’t want (and really don’t have the time) to purchase piece-meal solutions that aren’t made to fit their workflow.
We provide the hardware, installation, integration to hospital’s PBX, integration to middleware, training to users, and go-live support to make sure the project is a success.

Q: If it’s not a commercial secret, are you going to integrate similar solutions in the USA and other countries? What level of interest in similar systems, including the interest of the state structures, is there now?
Our goal is to continue growing our market share in the U.S. acute care hospital setting. As we see new opportunities develop for our software, we will investigate them accordingly. Right now, we feel the greatest return on investment for our solution is at the point-of-care.

Q: As for you, which of mobile platforms, along with iPhone, have prospects for the mass use in clinics? Why?
The iPhone and RIM BlackBerry seem to be the two devices gaining the most traction in healthcare. RIM still has a strong presence due to it’s support by IT staffs and technical teams. Without a doubt, the iPhone is still the hot item right now, and the App store has helped make it even hotter. Apple claims more than 700 medical apps which is unbelievable- just think of the number of apps that will be out in a few years. The raw number of applications and the number of developers storming to the iPhone was a deciding factor in why Voalté selected to develop on the iPhone first.
One other platform worthy of mention is the Google Android. With the launch of the 2.0 firmware Google has started to get minimal attention in healthcare. The openness of Android platform allows developers to access a number of API’s they would not be able to get to on an iPhone. The result (in theory) should lead to deeper app’s available only on the Android. Only time will tell if developers fully embrace the Android in healthcare as much as they have the iPhone.

Q: It would be interesting to learn from your words what is the venture investors’ estimation of the start-up investments perspective in the mHealth sphere? What ideas for investment in the mHealth sphere will be the most popular during next 2-3 years?
mHealth, as in all new industries, will take a few years to gel before the market leaders begin to take form. We have big players entering the field (Cisco, GE, Philips, etc). I think it is great that they are getting involved so early, but I really think it is the smaller start-ups that will drive the greatest innovation and out-of-the-box ideas.
I think ideas that enable the automatic entering of person health data onto mobile devices and the web (PHR) will be the technologies that have the most success. Unfortunately, the average consumer is not going to take a proactive role in entering their health data into the cloud. I think the companies that find the easiest, most non-intrusive way to get data from the patient to the PHR are going to be the most successful and have the greatest effect on the market.

Q: When mHealth will become popular and start to bring profit on the mass market? What is necessary for this purpose?
That’s a tough question. I think there will be one vendor that finds a way to make this profitable, and the floodgate swill then open. As for time frame, I would say early 2011 to mid 2011 is when the mass market will begin seeing profit.

Trey, Thanks for wonderful interview!
I believe your answers will allow estimating at true worth the mHealth sphere and we’ll see even more interesting and useful decisions on the market soon!

Editor
Vitaliy Goncharuk

The iPhone Medical Apps is a project of The VIactivity LLC

(medical SEO, software development for iPhone and Android, production)