Europe has been considering adopting mHealth for a while now, and according to the GSMA, that’s a good idea. A recent study has found that mHealth can save the EU billions of euros in healthcare costs, as well as improve treatment and lifestyles, should it be fully adopted.
The GSMA released a report, developed with help from PwC, detailing the potential of mHealth solutions. Not only can it lower the annual spending on patients per capital by a good 18 percent, but costs for chronic conditions can also decrease by nearly double that amount, thanks to improved treatment compliance and remote monitoring solutions. That could save nearly €100 billion by 2017, assuming they start soon.
Of course, it can do more than just help save money. mHealth can help millions of at-risk people receive early diagnosis, detecting chronic diseases to better combat them before it’s too late. Elderly patients can receive remote treatment and monitoring, allowing them to go about their lives as usual while still remaining safe. In total, over 100 million patients can be given the resources to help lead longer, healthier lives, which is no small feat.
At the same time, it can help make better use of resources, thanks to unified communication and remote monitoring. That saves time on travel, and lets doctors see and speak with more patients each day, so everyone can receive help when they need it.
However, there are still some obstacles to mHealth adoption. There’s a need for governments and regulators to create a way for mHealth and provide healthcare providers and patients with incentives to adopt it, otherwise they won’t be getting all the benefits that mHealth can provide. It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible either.
"The growing prevalence of chronic diseases, the relatively high cost of healthcare and an ageing population means many countries in the EU are experiencing a healthcare resource crisis that mobile technology can help relieve," says Michael O'Hara, the Chief Marketing Officer of the GSMA. "Better access to healthcare services and the cost efficiencies driven by mHealth will help EU economies deliver sustainable and effective healthcare systems. However, much more needs to be done by regulators and governments within the EU to incentivize, encourage and drive the adoption of mHealth for the benefit of all the region's citizens."
It’s pretty simple: mHealth can help save money, time, and many, many lives. There’s no reason not to adopt it at this point, although it will take time. It may not be an easy process, but the results will more than make up for any difficulty in getting it started. After all, what’s more important: not temporarily inconveniencing insurance companies, or helping millions of lives?
Edited by
Ashley Caputo
