Medical mobile apps are transforming the Healthcare Industry, promising to improve quality of healthcare while lowering costs.
In 2017, global medical healthcare apps were a $26 billion industry with a global average CAGR of 32.5%. The United States currently has the largest market for mobile medical apps. However, the Asia-Pacific region is showing the fastest growth rate in the world – with an estimated average CAGR of 70.8%. By 2022, the worldwide mobile medical app market is anticipated to reach a $102.43 billion.
As of 2017, mobile healthcare apps have been downloaded over 3.2 billion times – this marks a 25% increase since 2015. In the United States alone, there are over 500 million smartphone users with mobile health-related apps. The greatest growth in mobile medical apps has been in the management of chronic care – particularly diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, cancer, and cardiac illnesses.
As the prevalence of chronic illnesses worldwide increases, so is the increase in medical apps created to help manage these chronic illnesses. Nearly half of all Americans, around 133 million individuals, currently live with a chronic illness. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, now seven of the top ten causes of death in the US are due either directly or partially to chronic illness.
Chronic illness is on the rise globally as well. According to the World Health Organization, as of 2017, over 79% of all deaths related to chronic illness occur in developing countries, and this rate is anticipated to continue to climb. Heart diseases and other cardiovascular illnesses will continue to be the major cause of mortality throughout the globe. Asia, in particular, is experiencing the greatest rise is cardiac disease and death due to heart-related complications.
The widespread availability of tablets and smartphones in healthcare today is what is helping spur the use of mobile healthcare apps by patients and providers alike. According to referralmd, over 80% of physicians in 2017 use their smartphone at the point of care – whether for patient services or for administrative reasons. The wide access to and use of smartphones by providers and patients alike has been the primary driver behind the increasing availability of mobile healthcare apps year-over-year.
How can mobile apps help? What kind of mobile apps do patients want? And which kind do physicians need?
The healthcare industry is filled with opportunities for digitally savvy companies and mobile app developers.