According to the latest report by Juniper Research, a burgeoning market for healthcare peripherals and increasing smartphone processing power will result in the number of patients monitored by mobile networks to rise to 3 million by 2016. Using a smartphone as a hub, remote patient monitoring will also lower the cost of mHealth services by reducing the need for costly tailored devices.
The report goes on suggesting that the monitoring of cardiac outpatients is currently leading the field, though in time the management of diabetes and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder) and other chronic diseases will play an important role in the market. In the meantime, report author Anthony Cox says that more trials are needed to further convince the medical establishment of remote patient monitoring benefits.
Further findings from the report include:
- Mobile healthcare and medical app downloads will reach 44 million in 2012, rising to 142 million in 2016.
- Clarification from the US FDA on which mHealth apps will require FDA approval is still required but is expected to add further impetus to the market.
- Developing markets continue to benefit from SMS-based education programmes, while app-based services will appear in the medium term.
- EHR (electronic health records) have yet to gain significant traction even in developed markets but in the long term will become an important component of mHealth offerings
As usual, you can get additional information from Juniper’s website.