The
health industry is increasingly responding to the rising popularity and
availability of technological innovations, such as tablets and smartphones. The
use of connected devices to collect patient data, monitor ongoing conditions,
access health information, and communicate with providers, patients, and peers
is a trend that is spreading like wildfire. Health applications have the
potential to be adapted and used by healthcare professionals and consumers,
helping to revolutionize the sector and reflect the digital age we live in.
Mobile Health (mHealth)
can provide cost-effective solutions within the global healthcare environment,
which faces budget constraints, an increasing prevalence of chronic conditions,
and a limited healthcare workforce. mHealth is the use of mobile and wireless
technologies to support healthcare systems and achieve healthcare
objectives. After several successful
global trials, several mHealth services have entered the commercialization
phase and many mobile applications have been launched, stimulating partnerships
with software developers, mobile operators, governmental and non-governmental
organizations, and leading healthcare players.
Over the next decade
innovations within the mHealth market will be driven by evolution of smartphone
technologies, improvements in wireless coverage, and remote treatment and
monitoring of prevalent chronic diseases. According to a BCC Research report, the
global mHealth market reached nearly $1.5 billion in 2012 and $2.4 billion in
2013. It is expected to reach $21.5 billion in 2018 with a compound annual
growth rate (CAGR) of 54.9% over the five-year period from 2013 to 2018.
For
healthcare professionals, mobile or tablet apps also have enormous potential
for training and professional development. Connectivity is built in, facilitating a
blended learning platform with easily updatable information, in an accessible
format. This allows for a truly flexible and enjoyable teaching and learning
experience, ideal for both professionals and students, with information available
anytime, anywhere.
Not
only do health training and development apps provide more dynamic training
tools, but they can also bring huge cost savings. Apps are inexpensive to
produce and update, especially when compared to other training tools. Tablets and
smartphones are readily available and the technology is relatively low cost
when compared to other health technologies and professional training tools.
Apple’s
new software, HealthKit, is
designed to collect data from various health and fitness apps, making that data
easily available to Apple users through the company’s new Health app. HealthKit
is being developed to send data directly into
hospital and doctors' charts, too.
Craig
Federighi, Senior Vice President at Apple, at a conference held earlier this
year, said, “Developers have created a vast array of healthcare devices and
accompanying applications, everything from monitoring your activity level, to
your heart rate, to your weight, and chronic medical conditions like high blood
pressure and diabetes. ... [But] you can’t get a single comprehensive picture
of your health situation. But now you can, with HealthKit.”
Mobile phone carriers
such as Verizon and Sprint are also using their
vast and trusted networks to bring mobile patient engagement and data to the forefront.
“[Verizon’s] Converged Health Management is a perfect example of how we are
using our unique combination of assets like our 4G LTE wireless network and
cloud infrastructure to deliver an innovative, cost-effective and game-changing
solution to the marketplace,” said John Stratton, President of Verizon Enterprise
Solutions.
For
relevant BCC Research reports on telemedicine technologies, visit the following
links:
http://www.bccresearch.com/market-research/healthcare/telemedicine-technologies-report-hlc014g.html
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