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I would like to know which messaging applications are considered best in their class for patients to interact with doctors whilst in hospital. Or pre and post visit.
While there are many physician-to-physician messaging apps available, there are few that allow two-way messaging between physicians and patients. After extensive research, I was able to identify 10 apps and services that would allow patients to interact with doctors while in the hospital or for pre- and post-operative visits. I have included the details for each of these 10 apps on the attached spreadsheet.
Methodology
When I first began researching best in class messaging applications that would allow patients to interact with doctors while in the hospital or for pre- and post-operative visits, I discovered there are few apps available that provide this capability. There are many apps that have been designed for secure communication between medical providers, but communicating with patients appears to be thus far unpopular. However, after locating an article from BeckersHospitalReview that named "50 healthcare apps for clinicians and consumers to know", I was able to identify several apps that provide two-way messaging capabilities between physicians and patients. Then, using the apps I found through the BeckersHospitalReview article, I identified competitors that also offer two-way messaging between doctors and patients. Eventually, I ended up with a list of 10 apps or services that provide the type of communications you requested.
It is important to note that none of the apps or services listed on the spreadsheet are exclusively designed to be used in a hospital setting; however, all of them can be used for that purpose. Most apps allow physicians to message patients and other healthcare providers both inside and outside their network, and all of them are HIPAA compliant, which is a necessity in healthcare communications. Pricing was unavailable for most apps, as they are highly customizable according to patient base and number of physicians.
I did not list the apps in any particular order because I could not locate any comparative reviews that would allow me to determine a "best" app. That being said, I did list the apps I thought contained features closest to your request at the top. The first seven apps and services most closely align with the type of services you describe (allowing patients to interact with doctors while in the hospital), while the last three seem to me more useful for office visits and routine medical procedures.
Results
The 10 apps and services I identified that are capable of allowing two-way messaging between physicians and patients while in the hospital or for pre- and post-operative visits are:
conclusion
After researching the 10 apps and services listed on the attached spreadsheet, I have concluded that OhMD is the app that most closely aligns with the types of capabilities you describe. Other apps that appear to fit your requirements best are Klara, HipaaBridge, Lua, MedTunnel, WELL, and PingMD.