How Is mHealth Technology Enhancing Patient Care?
The adoption of mobile health (mHealth) connected devices, such as blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, blood glucose monitors, sleep apnea monitors, multiparameter monitors, and electrocardiogram (ECG) monitors, has surged over the years, on account of the rising prevalence of chronic disorders and easy mobility of these devices. Among the various products, the demand for blood glucose monitors is expected to escalate in the coming years, due to the increasing cases of diabetes. For instance, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that nearly 629 million people will be affected by diabetes by 2045.
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Furthermore, application of mHealth devices and services has significantly increased, due to the rising penetration of tablets, smartphones, and other mobile platforms, especially in developing countries. Mobile users in these economies are rapidly switching to smartphones, due to the affordability of 3G and 4G spectrums and the increasing adoption of mobile applications. This has led to the high adoption of healthcare apps in these countries. Moreover, advancements in mobile technologies and apps have immense potential to transform mHealth technology.
In recent years, North America has registered the highest adoption of mHealth connected devices, services, and apps. This can be ascribed to the escalating incidence of chronic and lifestyle-associated ailments, augmenting healthcare spending, growing elderly population, and improving accessibility to connected medical devices. The high populace of the elderly with chronic disorders fuels the demand for remote monitoring devices and several other patient-centric mobile applications. According to the United Nation Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the population of people aged 60 years or above in North America is estimated to reach 122.8 million by 2050.
Thus, the increasing penetration of internet devices and the rising incidence of chronic diseases among the older population will boost the adoption of mHealth devices and apps in the coming years.