By
Takeaway: mHealth developers expect the importance of app stores to diminish. mHealth apps will predominantly be distributed through traditional healthcare channels by 2015.
Our firm, Berlin-based research2guidance, conducted a global mHealth developer survey in order to identify emerging trends in this new market.
One of the most striking results of the survey was that leading mHealth developers believe that in the years to come mHealth applications will cease to be distributed primarily through the app stores as is currently the case, and that traditional healthcare distribution channels like hospitals and specialized healthcare product vendors will become the predominant distribution channels.
This would represent a significant shift when compared to the market today, as the smartphone app store model has been the key driver behind the initial success of mHealth applications over the last two years.
More than half of all respondents (53%) believe that app stores are currently the best distribution channel followed only by healthcare websites (49%). Traditional health distribution channels like doctors (34%), hospitals (31%) and pharmacies (16%) are ranked as second and third tier distribution channels today. Despite the fact that mobile operators are regarded as players who will help the mHealth market to grow, they are not seen as appropriate distribution channels either now or in the future.
Q: What are the best distribution channels for mhealth solutions today?
In 5 years time survey participants anticipate that the traditional distribution channels like hospitals (68%), doctors (65%) and traditional healthcare websites (56%) will become the main platforms on which to sell mHealth solutions. Generally speaking all distribution channels will grow in importance, but developers envision that in just 5 years’ time the major distribution channel will be doctors prescribing or suggesting applications to patients as a component of treatment.
Q: What will be the best mHealth distribution channels in five years time?
If that is the case, what is it that will persuade healthcare professionals to recommend and use mHealth applications in spite of the fact that health insurance providers are unlikely to include applications in their reimbursement plans? Here are seven possible explanations:
1. Growing awareness: The growing awareness of mHealth in the medical community, as well as the growing proportion of patients using smartphones, will encourage healthcare professionals to exploit the possibilities rendered by smartphone technology and incorporate applications into their patient management plans.
2. Incentives: Specialized distribution providers will develop business models that will allow doctors to recommend applications and profit from downloads. They could, for example, receive a share of revenues from downloads or subscription fees from specialized mHealth app stores.
3. Sponsored apps: Applications that improve the efficacy of a particular treatment would be popular with pharmaceutical/device manufacturers, as doctors would be more likely to prescribe their products. Pharma/device companies would sponsor application development and encourage doctors to prescribe their products in conjunction with applications, which doctors would do because the application would improve patient outcomes, thereby giving the company’s product a competitive edge.
4. Patient demand: An increasing number of “tech-savvy” patients, understanding the benefits of mHealth applications, will expect treatment or convenient communication with healthcare professionals to be facilitated by applications.
5. Differentiation: Tech-savvy healthcare professionals will make use of innovative solutions to differentiate their practice and stay ahead of the competition.
6. Shortage of physicians: In areas that have always suffered because of the low number of healthcare professionals, such as rural areas or in the developing world, mobile applications allow patients to connect remotely to healthcare providers like physicians. Healthcare professionals active in these regions are already making use of this exciting opportunity to improve healthcare delivery. Treatment quality is improved, and from a health economics point-of-view, costs are reduced as travel times and distances are diminished and physicians get to see more patients.
7. Cost pressure: The increasing cost of healthcare is forcing both public and commercial healthcare providers to test and deploy cost-effective solutions. Within the next few years the market will include numerous mHealth solutions that will have successfully provided proof of concept.
These scenarios suggest that the proliferation of mHealth applications into traditional healthcare distribution channels is not far off.
This outlook is based on the views of our survey participants that include for example: AT&T, Bayer Healthcare Diabetes Care, Beijing KellyMed Co., Boehringer Ingelheim, Bosch Healthcare, Ericsson Nikola Tesla, GlaxoSmithKline, NHS, Nokia, Roche (Diagnostics Division), SingTel, Sorin Group, Sprint, Telefónica and Turkcell to name just a view.
Commentology : Is their view overly optimistic, or will applications be delivered predominantly through traditional healthcare distribution channels within the next few years – what do you think?
research2guidance is a Berlin-based research firm specializing in the mobile marketplace.
The survey has been conducted between August and September of 2010. N= 231. Please see summary paper for more details and all results.
Categories: Uncategorized
The Doctor Will Sync You Now | The Health Care Blog Hermes Hac 50Cm Sale http://www.msff.se/images/database/d289e0148af2449bb68d7654a22264f7.asp
I really like your writing style, fantastic info , thanks for putting up : D.
the perfect spouse to suit your needs. skepticism to fix it, presenting bad news is. We offer terrific discounted prices regarding pleasant places to stay while having trip or business trip. Search regarding se Aurora hotels using a number of other locations around the globe and pick quite a few facilities or personal preferences in your internet search engine. Pay a visit to on the internet currently..
Polo Ralph Lauren Soldes http://www.galerievu.com/style.php?id=8
the top significant other for you. doubt about this, offering bad news is actually difficult. Our company offers terrific great deals to get comfortable lodging for your getaway or simply business trip. Search to get east Aurora lodges in addition to several areas globally decide on countless comforts or simply requirements with our search engine. Visit on-line at present..
mulberry on sale http://www.ameripath.com/mul.asp?id=12
the best partner to suit your needs. suspect concerning this, dispensing not so great is actually difficult. Currently very good discounted prices for pleasant lodging on your family vacation or maybe business trip. Search for se Aurora resorts using various towns everywhere and choose countless conveniences or maybe choices with our online search engine. Visit on-line at present..
mulberry factory outlet http://www.specialtylabs.com/dos/Mul.asp?id=14
the best mate for your needs. doubtfulness about that, dispensing not so good really. This site offers excellent discounted prices with regard to relaxing lodging in your family vacation as well as business trip. You can search with regard to eastern Aurora inns coupled with all kinds of other towns world wide and pick several services as well as needs and wants inside our google search. Have a look at on the web these days..
Polo Ralph Lauren Discount http://www.abvent.fr/softwares/?id=19
the very best husband or wife for you. mistrust about it, offering bad news really. Our company offers wonderful discounted prices pertaining to relaxed lodging for your vacation or possibly business travel. You can look pertaining to east Aurora accommodations in conjunction with several other areas throughout the world and judge many features or possibly inclinations of our own internet search engine. Go to on-line right now..
Polo Ralph Lauren Big Pony http://www.galerievu.com/style.php?id=15
the very best husband or wife for you personally. hesitation to fix it, dispensing not so great news is tough. You can expect superb great deals designed for cozy lodging within your family vacation or business travel. Search designed for eastern Aurora hotels in addition to many other metropolitan areas everywhere and pick a lot of amenities or needs and wants of our own online search engine. Pay a visit to on-line now..
Polo Ralph Lauren Homme http://www.galerievu.com/style.php?id=7
the perfect significant other for your needs. uncertainty about that, giving not so great news is very. This site offers very good great deals intended for pleasant places to stay on your holiday getaway and also business trip. You can look intended for se Aurora lodges together with a number of other metropolitan areas world wide pick countless establishments and also preferences of our own online search engine. Visit internet at this time..
mulberry bags outlet http://www.ameripath.com/mul.asp?id=4
the most beneficial lover available for you. doubt about it, giving you not so great is very. Our company offers very good great deals pertaining to pleasant accommodations within your holiday and also business trip. You can search pertaining to se Aurora inns together with a number of other towns worldwide decide on lots of comforts and also tastes of our own search results. Visit on line currently..
Burberry Outlet http://www.abvent.com/buy/
the perfect mate for you personally. skepticism about that, offering not so great is tough. Currently very good great deals for at ease places to stay within your holiday vacation or business trip. You can search for se Aurora places to stay in conjunction with many other locations globally and judge quite a few conveniences or needs and wants in your browser’s search engine. See on the internet at present..
mulberry sale http://www.specialtylabs.com/dos/Mul.asp?id=2
the top husband or wife on your behalf. skepticism to fix it, presenting not so great is actually difficult. Currently fantastic great deals designed for secure places to stay within your vacation as well as business trip. You can search designed for eastern side Aurora places to stay together with a number of other areas throughout the world and select several amenities as well as needs and wants in the internet search engine. Stop by online now..
Bottega Veneta Outlet http://www.zambeziamovie.com/css/bv.php
the very best companion available for you. hesitation about this, presenting not so good really. We supply superb great deals with regard to relaxing lodging while having your getaway as well as business trip. You can look with regard to eastern Aurora lodges together with various other places world wide and pick numerous amenities as well as preferences in our search engine optimization. Pay a visit to on-line right now..
mulberry outlet http://www.specialtylabs.com/dos/Mul.asp
the perfect associate to suit your needs. question to fix it, supplying bad news is actually difficult. Our company offers terrific discounted prices designed for pleasant lodging for your family vacation or simply business trip. You can look designed for east Aurora places to stay as well as a great many other metropolitan areas around the world decide on a number of amenities or simply preferences in our online search engine. Have a look at on the web at this time..
mulberry bag outlet http://www.ameripath.com/mul.asp?id=8
the ideal partner available for you. mistrust about that, supplying not so good news extremely. We offer terrific great deals pertaining to comfortable places to stay for your getaway as well as business trip. Searching pertaining to south Aurora lodges using many other places around the globe and pick quite a few conveniences as well as priorities with our search engine. Check out internet currently..
Bottega Veneta Outlet http://www.zambeziamovie.com/css/bv.php?id=1
the top spouse for you personally. mistrust regarding it, providing not so great news is difficult. We provide you with very good discounted prices for relaxing lodging while having your trip as well as business travel. You can look for eastern side Aurora hotels together with a number of other places around the world decide on a lot of conveniences as well as inclinations in our search results. Have a look at on-line right now..
mulberry sale http://www.ameripath.com/mul.asp?id=2
the best partner to suit your needs. uncertainty about that, giving not so great really. We provide wonderful discounted prices pertaining to relaxing lodging throughout your family vacation or business travel. You can look pertaining to far east Aurora inns using many other locations throughout the world and pick lots of facilities or requirements within our web engine. Have a look at internet now..
Polo Ralph Lauren Pas Cher Homme http://www.galerievu.com/style.php?id=11
the very best significant other for yourself. suspect regarding it, supplying not so great extremely. We provide you with terrific discounted prices pertaining to pleasant accommodations on your vacation or even business travel. You can look pertaining to east Aurora places to stay along with a great many other towns throughout the world and choose many features or even choices in this web engine. Go to on the web right now..
Robe Polo Ralph Lauren http://www.abvent.fr/softwares/?id=22
the most beneficial significant other for your needs. uncertainty to fix it, presenting bad news really. We offer great great deals with regard to secure accommodations while having holiday or possibly business trip. Search with regard to asian Aurora hotel rooms along with all kinds of other towns around the world and judge lots of services or possibly personal preferences inside our internet search engine. Have a look at on-line at present..
mulberry outlet online http://www.specialtylabs.com/dos/Mul.asp?id=6
the most beneficial partner for you personally. skepticism regarding it, dispensing not so good is difficult. We offer wonderful discounted prices meant for pleasant places to stay in your family vacation and also business trip. You can look meant for distance Aurora accommodations coupled with a great many other locations worldwide and select a number of services and also inclinations of our own search engine optimization. See on the web now..
Pull Ralph Lauren Pas Cher http://www.abvent.fr/softwares/?id=14
the very best significant other for yourself. hesitation about this, delivering not so good news is actually difficult. This site offers good great deals pertaining to relaxed accommodations while having vacation and also business trip. You can look pertaining to far east Aurora accommodations together with several other cities all over the world decide on several amenities and also preferences of our own search engine. Visit web based now..
mulberry handbags outlet http://www.ameripath.com/mul.asp?id=10
mHealth : An Ultimate Platform to Serve the Unserved
This is an excellent review paper.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20938579
Major challenges of mHealth platforms have been articulated in the following papers in an excellent manner.
1. Service quality of mHealth platforms: Development and Validation of a Hierarchical Model using PLS
http://www.springerlink.com/content/b34782112400k800/
2. Trustworthiness in mHealth information services: An assessment of a hierarchical model with mediating and moderating effects using PLS
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/asi.21442/full
If you believe that in 2015, hospitals will be the major suppliers of mHealth appplications, then I have a bridge for sale…
I remember when the Dean of a prestigous medical school and academic medical center said when asked if Intel could supply them with PC’s for free…his response – “We don’t know anything about Intel as a company, can’t you get them to donate those computers through one of our trusted medical suppliers like GE Medical Systems?…