Utilizing App Refactoring for Healthcare Mobile Apps

July 06, 2017 - Organizations are making the move to mobile and introducing more healthcare mobile apps to their health IT infrastructure. The number of apps used is increasing as more mobile devices are relied upon for critical tasks.

Many organizations already have desktop apps with which clinicians are satisfied, but those apps don’t necessarily translate well to mobile devices.

The mobile devices that need to be considered include laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Designing one app to operate on each type of device may not work. This requires organizations to spend time and money redesigning and redeploying apps.

Redesigning apps can take time and money that healthcare organizations may not have available. Entities may need an app on a mobile device before it’s been redeployed for that specific device.

Clinicians can also run into workflow issues if they are using an application on a mobile device when that app was designed for a desktop. They may have trouble locating or finding different functions because the app was not built for a small touch screen.

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Apart from redesigning the app, organizations have the option of app refactoring.

App refactoring takes a Windows app meant for the desktop and allows the developer to essentially draw a new user interface over the existing one to fit whatever device it’s going to be deployed on. App refactoring restructures the code used to build the app without changing what it does. The app still functions the same but looks different.

Desktop applications are not designed to pinch and zoom navigation, which makes them unusable on a mobile device.

It’s vital for clinicians to have access to apps the function smoothly and easily. Clinicians don’t want to take away from the time they spend with their patients because of an unnavigable app.

Clinicians using apps in the emergency room or ICU to access patient information can potentially put patients in danger if they can’t navigate the app to find the correct information.

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App refactoring is often categorized as a bridge technology as organizations plan and execute a more complete mobile strategy. Organizations might be looking for a quick fix while they’re busy with other, more critical projects, like cloud migration.

Most entities don’t view app refactoring as a permanent solution for app deployment unless the app is only used on mobile very rarely, and a redesign and deployment isn’t worth the effort.

Ensuring a smooth app refactoring process

App refactoring isn’t as simple as moving and resizing frontend features. Organizations have to consider mobile device functions, as well as desktop limitations. Entities also need to know how the mobile device accesses the network in comparison to how the desktop app may do so.

Smartphones have different capabilities that can cancel out certain aspects of the desktop apps. Things like location, camera, and notifications don’t need to be included in the refactored app because they are already present on the device.

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Organizations need to consider how enabling certain features for the refactored mobile app can be more beneficial instead of directly translating the desktop app to the mobile one. Smartphone features may improve the app or let developers leave out bulkier features during the redesign.

TVP Strategy researcher James Rankin warns organizations about what to look out for when assessing if app refactoring is a good fit.

“If you start refactoring applications, you also need to invest in the security and management side of things, even if you are only delivering them to company-owned devices,” Rankin explained. “App refactoring on its own doesn’t tie in with this directly. Why would you invest in a solution to present the application to mobile devices, and then have to rely on another part of the stack to securely manage it?”

Organizations also have to determine if the app is suited for a mobile device at all. Some apps are too entwined with security and network restrictions and may be more trouble than they’re worth to refactor.

“Client-server relationships that are sensitive to network speed and latency [can be difficult], for example,” said Rankin. “In these cases, delivering the application to a mobile form factor may be pointless without leveraging a solution that executes it on a remote instance rather than at the endpoint itself.”

There are several options available for organizations looking to include more apps in their IT infrastructures. App refactoring can be a solid option for clinicians to use temporarily while new apps are developed to meet their needs.