Consumer Products Will Drive mHealth Market Sep 23, 2009

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The nascent mHealth (mobile health) market will be driven by consumer wellness products, not medical devices, in the coming years. A new research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight highlights some progress in the adoption of wireless technology among manufacturers of medical monitoring equipment but there is still a long way to go before remote monitoring becomes a standard procedure in the healthcare sector. Instead consumer-oriented health applications are anticipated to take the lead in the mHealth segment.

"We foresee a development where health and medical monitors are networked to the personal handset via Bluetooth or other short-range technologies“, says Tobias Ryberg, Senior Analyst, Berg Insight. "There will also be a plethora of health-related smartphone apps that will be able to receive and analyze data from medical devices." He adds that health applications is currently one of the fastest growing application categories on Apple's AppStore.

Berg Insight recommends handset manufacturers and mobile operators to work closely with leading suppliers of health and medical equipment to create offerings that take advantage of the opportunities with mobile communication. Standardization bodies such as the Continua Health Alliance will play a vital role in creating interoperability between medical devices and mobile handsets. This will enable application developers to create intelligent smartphone apps that help mobile subscribers keep track of their personal health.

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