"The only codes I know are CPT codes. 🥲" No Problem! Build health tech with these no-code solutions.

A domain expert's (you, ya baddie nurse), Achilles heel is being at the mercy of finding a technical cofounder that is 1) passionate about building in healthcare, 2) passionate about building in your niche of healthcare, and 3) get along well as business partners/basic humans. Not to mention a good Chief Technical Officer (CTO) willing to quit their kush jobs making 🤑 at FAANG institutions (a.k.a. Facebook/meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google, etc) to work for pennies and equity on the slim chance that the Startup takes off is equivalent to finding an unexpired bag of 1L 0.9% Normal Saline 3 months post Hurricane Helene circa 2024.

Lucky for us, more tech companies are creating "no-code" (or low-code) solutions so Nurses don't have to take a coding bootcamp to learn yet another new language to create a tech product to help stakeholders in healthcare. From web and mobile app building, AI assistants, and even wearable technology, we can now create something scalable without needing to write a single line of code.

This guide breaks down the best options (at current time of publication) so you can start creating something impactful today.

⚠️ Disclaimer: Some of the platforms mentioned have limitations on ownership, distribution, and scalability. Always check their terms before investing time into building on them.

1. No-Code App Builders: Build Your Own Healthcare Platform

If you want to create a patient management tool, a scheduling app, or an educational platform, these no-code tools can help:

• Bubble – Best for full-scale healthcare web apps and platforms. Offers more complex functionalities than Adalo.

• Glide – Turns Google Sheets into mobile apps, great for patient tracking.

• Softr – Ideal for building apps using Airtable as a backend.

• Adalo – Focuses on mobile and web apps with a drag-and-drop interface; offers native app publishing.

• Blaze - Create marketplaces, patient portals, and EMRs.

✅ You own your app’s branding and content, but these platforms host it. If you want to scale, you may need to rebuild it elsewhere.

Use Case: A home health nurse builds an app in Glide to track patient visits, vitals, and medication schedules, reducing paperwork and improving efficiency.

2. No-Code AI Builders: Create Chatbots & Virtual Health Assistants

Want to build an AI-powered chatbot or an automated virtual assistant? Try these:

• Landbot – Easy-to-use no-code chatbot builder for patient engagement.

• Voiceflow – Great for designing conversational AI for voice and text.

• Dasha AI – Build AI voice assistants that can automate patient calls (must contact sales for no-code options).

• Rasa - Create advanced healthcare agents.

Use Case: A nurse sets up a chatbot in Landbot to answer frequently asked patient questions about wound care, freeing up time for direct patient interactions.

3. No-Code Wearable Tech: Develop Health Monitoring Devices

If you’re interested in creating wearable health devices or apps for smartwatches, check these out:

• Omi – No-code wearable creation from concept to hardware.

• Blynk – Connect and control IoT-enabled health devices.

• Adafruit + MIT App Inventor – DIY approach to prototyping wearables (guides are not specific to healthcare but tinkering + your smart brains can get you there!)

🔄 Many wearable platforms (e.g., Fitbit) control distribution. If you want full ownership, use open platforms like Adafruit or Blynk.

Use Case: A nurse creates an app using the Omi wearable to help patients remember the details of their doctors appointments and generates action items to implement from each session.

4. No-Code Automation: Save Time & Streamline Workflows

If you want to automate tasks like patient reminders, data tracking, or reporting, try:

• Zapier – Connects healthcare tools and automates workflows.

• Make (formerly Integromat) – More advanced automation capabilities.

• Edge Impulse – AI-powered automation for sensor-based health data.

• Bardeen AI – Automates admin tasks like summarizing clinical reports.

✅ You own your automation logic, but these tools only work within their platform’s ecosystem.

Use Case: A home health nurse creates technology that can detect falls through accelerometer and gyroscope sensors on an always-on smartwatch and immediately notifies the multidisciplinary home health team to deploy an ASAP home health visit.

I made it, so does that mean I own it?

Platforms like Hippocratic AI tout "Creator Programs" which connects you to customer while getting paid to "use your clinical expertise to ensure AI safety, improve clinical outcomes and reach more patients at scale". Their AI Agent trainer is easy to use and can create prototypes in minutes and finished products in a few hours. Benefits of working with companies like Hippocratic AI are that you can dip your toes in AI prompt engineering and supervising while getting paid as a freelancer (goodbye bedside nursing!). However, you will NOT own the product you created. Hippocratic AI retains full rights, meaning you cannot scale, distribute, or commercialize your work independently. They can sell or deploy the AI model you helped build without requiring your approval or sharing additional revenue.

Here are 3 critical questions nurses should ask themselves before deciding whether to build with Hippocratic AI (or similar platforms) vs. using a platform where they retain full IP ownership:

1. Do I want to own and scale my AI Agent?

   • If YES: Choose a platform that allows you to retain full IP rights (e.g., Rasa, self-hosted AI solutions).

   • If NO: Platforms like Hippocratic AI are fine if you're okay with being a paid contributor rather than owning the final product.

2. Am I looking for immediate income or long-term business growth?

   • If Immediate Income: Hippocratic AI pays freelancers to train AI agents, making it a quick way to monetize expertise.

   • If Long-Term Growth: Owning the AI agent allows you to scale, license, and monetize it independently.

3. Am I comfortable with my work being sold without my involvement?

   • If YES: Hippocratic AI owns the AI agents built on their platform and can sell them without asking for permission.

   • If NO: You’ll need to use a self-hosted or open-source AI solution to maintain control over its future use.

Final Thoughts

While most of these solutions are intuitive, you will still have to put in the work to learn the platform's nuances. Coding bootcamps are at least 6 months full time. These solutions will take less than that. Additionally, most have educational videos, chat forums, and the ability to contact the developing team for all your burning questions. And of course, reddit is also a wealth of information.