A new report from Pyramid Research says more than 200 million mHealth applications are in use today, with the number expected to increase threefold by 2012.
It notes that around 70% of people worldwide are interested in having access to – and are willing to pay for – at least one mHealth application. The research also shows that countries with large populations and limited healthcare options, such as India and South Africa, are the most interested in mobile health.
Denise Culver, the report’s author, said “Healthcare solutions that are delivered via mobile technology are creating a new frontier of innovation that is driving down costs, increasing access, and improving quality of care. And even as mHealth connects, informs, and protects patients and caregivers in powerful ways, it also opens up many opportunities for mobile network operators like AT&T, BT, Orange, and Telefonica; original equipment manufacturers including Apple, RIM, and Ericsson; hardware and software vendors, such as Cisco, Oracle, Microsoft, and Google; and a new breed of device and application providers that specialize solely on mHealth, including CardioNet, Epocrates, and NowPos.”