It shouldn’t come as any surprise, but mobile health (mHealth) solutions that allow patient consultation and monitoring, among other benefits, are skyrocketing in popularity as the use of smartphones, tablets and apps spreads, as unveiled by healthcare industry analysts GlobalData in a new report, according to a press release.
The survey found that the global mHealth market was worth $1.2 billion in 2011, but will soar in value to $11.8 billion by 2018, climbing at an unheard-of CAGR of 39%, the press release noted, which added that mHealth is the fastest growing segment within the telehealth and telemedicine market.
mHealththe end of 2011, there were an estimated 6 billion mobile subscribers, with 76% located in the developing world. A recent parksassociates.com survey additionally found that 15 to 20 percent of mobile phone users are devoted to at least one health-related app., among other services, allows chronically ill patients to remain at home and out of the hospital while being monitored remotely by healthcare providers. Mike Frost wrote about the huge market opportunity, revealing that by
The survey also found that nearly 30% of U.S. mobile phone users with a health condition are confident they could better manage their health problems if they had an easy-to-use health device/tool that tracks their progress.
GlobalData attributed the substantial predicted growth to the widespread use of mobile phones that allow faster, easier and broader access to healthcare services. The iPhone, Android and Blackberry platform devices are currently leading the pack with apps on everything from fitness and nutrition, to diagnostic imaging.
The software and services portion of the industry – roughly about 80 percent – is driven by these rapidly emerging health apps, designed to fill key gaps in the mobile healthcare market, the press release revealed, noting that approximately 70% of available healthcare apps are consumer focused, while the remaining 30% are designed for medical professionals. These apps are typically more sophisticated, and can offer clinicians access to patient information and the ability to conduct further analysis, such as creating 3D anatomical models.
Not surprisingly, the US is the main market for mHealth solutions, with a contribution of $660 million to the global market in 2011. Europe and the Asia-Pacific region contributed a respectable $420 million and $120 million, respectively.
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Edited by
Allison Boccamazzo
