Smartphones will Push mHealth Monitoring to Record Heights

It’s no wonder that mHealth app development is one of the fastest growing app development sectors today. Americans are obsessed with their appearance and health and are trying to find ways to eat better, make better lifestyle choices and lower their risk of medical problems.  If you are hoping to enter this burgeoning industry with a new product or service, consider this, according to a report published by Juniper Research, the number of patients being monitored by mobile networks will reach three million by 2016.

Juniper Research also notes that the consumer focus of many mHealth apps will result in mHealth becoming increasingly mainstream.  According to report author Anthony Cox, “Acceptance of new healthcare practices like remote patient monitoring will come directly from consumers becoming engaged in mHealth through the smartphone.”

Other findings from the report include:

• Mobile Healthcare and medical app downloads will reach 44 million in 2012, potentially reaching 142 million in 2016
• EHR (electronic health records) will become an important component of mHealth offerings in the long term, as more in the medical community changeover to this form of record-Keeping
• Clarification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on which mHealth apps will require FDA approval is still in review but it’s expected to add another push to the market
• Developing markets continue to benefit from SMS-based education programs and stand to benefit in medium term from app-based healthcare services such as mobile ultrasound that are now being developed

According to Juniper,  “Current mHealth apps cover a wide range of mHealth uses, ranging from medical calculators to monitoring software. However, in time, hardware peripherals attached to the smartphone will greatly extend the capabilities of these apps.”

Standing out in this crowded marketplace will become increasingly difficult for new and emerging mHealth developers, so it will become key to develop a strategic marketing campaign to get your product off to a running start.