Lessons learned from building Android App to connect to Bluetooth enabled medical devices.
In 2017, my partner and I embarked on a journey to create a remote patient monitoring solution by linking smartphones to Bluetooth-enabled medical devices. To begin with, we acquired a fitness watch, an oximeter, a blood pressure monitor, and a blood glucose monitor.
Over the course of several months, we invested significant time and effort in understanding and developing the Bluetooth connection to these devices. Unfortunately, we underestimated the complexity of this task, as we initially assumed that Bluetooth would be a straightforward means to connect and retrieve data from the devices.
Then, we discovered the existence of the Bluetooth Healthcare protocol, which many device manufacturers did not strictly adhere to, much like HL7.
Eventually, we managed to create an Android App, Missi that successfully connected to the Bluetooth devices. Nevertheless, this achievement did not come without its share of challenges.
The key lessons learned we experienced along the way:
- Android System Update: The Bluetooth connectivity issue is a support nightmare with each Android system update. The update significantly impact the how Android manage the Bluetooth connection. Unless we have a sizeable team of engineers solely focused on diligently testing and updating our App to accommodate the latest Android updates across various smartphone brands and models before the new Android update release, the experience can be overwhelmingly frustrating.
- Pairing and Setup: Establishing a Bluetooth connection between a smartphone and a medical device can present challenges that may result in poor user experience. The complexity of the pairing process can lead to user frustration and deter adoption, particularly among elderly individuals.
Following the Android app experience, we opted not to continue with the iOS app development. Instead, we embarked on exploring alternative approaches to ensure the realization of the level of customer experience we had envisioned.
