The worldwide mobile health sphere is expected to explode by the year 2017.
Mhealth has become a rapidly growing part of the mobile technology world, and its adoption has been continuing to rise as smartphones and tablets become an increasingly common part of our everyday lives.
Now, a new industry study has predicted the worldwide value of the industry by 2017 to have skyrocketed.
Mhealth is catching in particularly because of the convenience and accessibility it offers within the health and medical sphere. These are two factors that are notably absent in many parts of today’s healthcare. For this reason, healthcare systems and providers around the world are beginning to take on mobile health technology, which has led to the expectation that by 2017, the industry will be worth a global $23 billion.
Mhealth in the United States alone is predicted to make its way up to $5.9 billion by that year.
In a pattern that is truly unique to this industry, it will be the patients, as opposed to the providers and professionals, who will be the main drivers behind the mhealth revolution. This is because it provides them with a significantly enhanced ability to obtain improved healthcare through information and efficiency as well as communication with their providers.
The hope is that the broadening adoption of mhealth apps will provide patients with convenience, but that it will also help them to receive healthcare in which they are more involved and informed. This could lead to better overall results as the decision making process will be more effective and, hopefully, accurate to the specific needs of the individual.
At the moment, the main ways in which mhealth are being used include the use of mobile devices – such as smartphones and tablets – by patients who wish to monitor their own wellness, gain access to call centers of healthcare services, contact their physicians and other providers, reach advice lines, and communicate with emergency centers.
Among the largest contributors to this technology at the moment are Grameen Health and ClickMedix, but as the hurdles in the industry are overcome, a growing number of mhealth players are continually adding their names to the mix.
