The number of mobile health applications available to consumers now
surpasses 165,000, as developers incorporate innovative data collection
features linked to sensors and wearables, according to a new report released
today by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. While most available
apps focus on overall wellness, healthcare systems and professionals are
expressing greater interest and excitement in broader app use as barriers to
mainstream adoption of mHealth are removed—especially in the area of chronic
disease management.
The IMS Institute study found that one in ten apps now has the capability
to connect to a device or sensor, providing biofeedback and physiological
function data from the patient and greatly extending the accuracy and
convenience of data collection. Nearly a quarter of consumer apps are now
focused on disease and treatment management, while two-thirds target fitness
and wellness. The number and variety of mHealth apps present an overwhelming
set of options for consumers, resulting in 40 percent of apps having fewer than
5,000 downloads.