mHealth Making An Impact On Global Healthcare Technology

This article from BlueStar takes a look at the growing use of mobile technology in the healthcare industry as mobile adoption rates continue to rise and these devices play an increasing role in people’s lives. Mobile healthcare solutions can deliver effective, scalable, and affordable care outside the four walls of the medical facility and mobile health technology, or mHealth, is currently projected to be worth more than $23 billion worldwide by 2017. By this time the United States is expected to be nearly a quarter of all global mHealth spending at $5.9B.

Patients are demanding this growth and leading the charge into mobile health as they use mobile technology to seek better healthcare information more efficiently than ever. Patients believe that healthcare apps will provide convenience and help improve quality of care. mHealth is being put to use as patients use their mobile phones and devices to monitor their own wellness, contact their providers, access health care call centers, advice lines, and emergency centers. These are just a few ways consumers are putting mHealth to use.

The growth of mHealth that is projected in the coming years will still be difficult like the growth of any new technology. Early adopters will be few and far between, as we have seen the healthcare industry proving conservative and resistant to change. It can be difficult to convince doctors that they need mHealth applications, but with 80% of doctors using smartphones and medical apps and them being two and a half times more likely to own a tablet (according to research in mHealthWatch from Float Mobile Learning), it is possible that the familiarity will help mHealth grow.

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