Thursday, May 6, 2010

Healthcare Smartphone apps to push mHealth revenues


Healthcare Smartphone apps are expected to significantly contribute to mHealth revenues according to a report released by Juniper Research.

The number of mobile fitness and healthcare application has already reached some 5,000. Most healthcare apps provide health information to professionals or end users, while fitness apps are available to measure calorie intake or measure distance travelled for those running.

According to the report healthcare Smartphone apps are expected to significantly contribute to mHealth revenues. Eventually a new market will spawn for advanced apps which integrate sensors worn on the body. It further indicated that in the past eighteen months there has been a renewed interest in mHealth from operators globally.

"Mobile monitoring will demonstrate substantial growth in the US and some other developed markets,” said Anthony Cox, Senior Analyst at Juniper Research.

Cox noted, however, that while mobile monitoring will contribute to healthcare cost savings in developed markets, national wealth and the structure of the healthcare market in a given geographical region will have an important bearing on the extent to which it is rolled out. "In Africa, for example, the opportunities for mHealth monitoring will be limited, instead, SMS based education programs will be rolled out there and these can be of great benefit."

The report also indicated that income from remote patient monitoring over cellular networks is expected to rise to almost $1.9 billion globally by 2014. The writers added that heart based monitoring in the US accounts for the bulk of early mobile monitoring roll-outs.

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