The Journal of mHealth Vol 1 Issue 1 (Feb 2014) | Page 7

mHealth...A Global Market
healthcare providers to serve patients effectively and at a lower
cost.” [2]
North America leads the regional
landscape of the global mHealth
market followed by Europe and
Asia Pacific. However, by 2020,
Europe and Asia Pacific are predicted to take away this lead, with
each occupying more than 28%
of the market. [2]
It is also predicted that the next
few years will see the commercialisation phase of the mobile
healthcare services market, as the
industry begins to more effectively monetise the solutions that
are already on offer, or in development. Estimates are that this
phase will push the market value

mHealth services:
- Ageing population. Ageing populations and the associated increase
in chronic illness across the developed world is fuelling the growing
demand for innovative delivery
solutions. Healthcare organisations and national health provision is responding to this growth
in demand by seeking methods
that improve the access to, and
efficacy of services provided,
as well as increase consumer engagement with treatment and care
pathways, and reduce hospital admission rates.
- Increases in healthcare costs. As costs
of healthcare provision continue
to rise, health providers, organ-

helping to drive consumer-led
health provision and reduce the
number of physical interactions
required in the doctor-patient relationship.
- Wearable technology. Wearable
technology also shows signs of
significant residual growth. The
world market for wearable technology reached $8.5 billion in
revenues during 2012, shipping
96 million devices that year. By
2018, unit shipments are forecast
to reach 210 million, driving $30
billion in revenue. These figures
include a diverse range of product
types and applications including
healthcare, fitness, infotainment,
industrial and military. [4]

In this article we take a snapshot of the global
mHealth market, considering some of the
issues influencing the industry, in a variety
of different regions around the world
upwards of $26 billion by 2017 [3].
“With the growing sophistication
level of mHealth applications,
only 9% of the total market revenue in the next five years will
come from application download
revenue,” suggests Patrick Houck
in a statement in the same report
by mobile research company Research2Guidance. “84% of total
mHealth application market revenue will come from related services and products such as sensors.”
Factors generating the need for

isations, and governments are all
searching for solutions that can
keep pace with growing demand,
whilst delivering real-term cost
savings. mHealth, telehealth, remote monitoring and telemedicine are all methods that have become attractive solutions to these
problems.
- Advances in technology. Innovation
is rapidly changing the dynamics surrounding the delivery of
healthcare. Tailored solutions are

UNITED KINGDOM
A recent report published by PwC
[5] highlights the growing interest for mHealth solutions in the
United Kingdom. The report references the many projects and initiatives that a ɔ