The combination of the smartphone and the
app stores has created a vibrant market for mHealth apps which are forecast to
reach 142 million downloads globally by 2016.

Apps already cover a wide range of mHealth
use cases, varying from medical calculators to monitoring software. However, in
time, hardware peripherals attached to the smartphone will greatly extend the
capabilities of these apps, according to Juniper Research.

Hardware Peripherals designed to work
directly with mHealth apps will allow the smartphone to become an important
portable accessory to the healthcare establishment for both diagnosis and
relaying medical data to healthcare staff, states the report.

The consumer focus of many mHealth apps
will result in mHealth becoming increasingly mainstream.

“Acceptance of new healthcare
practices like remote patient monitoring will come directly from consumers
becoming engaged in mHealth through the smartphone,” said report author
Anthony Cox.

Clarification from the US FDA (Food and
Drug Administration), on which mHealth apps will require FDA approval, is still
required but is expected to add further impetus to the market.

Significant cost-savings can be achieved
through remote patient monitoring in developed markets through the avoidance of
hospital stays and outpatient appointments.

The US has a notable lead over other
developed economies for remote patient monitoring due to the structure of the
healthcare industry and insurance funding.

By Telecomlead.com Team
[email protected]