mHealth- Advances, Knowledge and Patient Engagement

Kei point

The key point is that health care is no longer a specialists’ domain. The availability of cheap medical devices, like handheld ultrasounds and mobile eye exam machines, means citizens can take health into their own hands. Embedded sensors, on tattoosand subcutaneous chips, will soon transmit live updates to doctors’ tablets.

"Doctors are being disrupted in a very big way," says Sparks & Honey founder Terry Young. "And it’s being driven by the fact that traditional types of medical approach, where you go to the doctor and there’s one person who knows everything, is shifting rapidly."

The mobile health (mHealth) industry is contributing to a new delivery model focused on care that is patient-centered and value-based. When a patient downloads a medical application, for example, and uses that app to better manage a disease, it can lead to better health. This means fewer office visits, reduced care costs and a lower burden on the healthcare system.