Annual mHealth App Downloads to Reach 142 Million by 2016

Annual worldwide downloads of mHealth apps will be 44 million next year and reach 142 million by 2016, predicts a report released earlier this week by UK-based Juniper Reports.

The firm says that growth in mHealth app downloads will be driven by expanded hardware capabilities that will allow smartphones to “become an important portable accessory to the health care establishment for both diagnosis and relaying medical data to health care staff.”

The report also predicts that clarification from the FDA on how it will regulate mHealth apps will add momentum to the market for the apps and that remote patient monitoring made possible by the apps will save money through shortened hospital stays and reduced need for outpatient appointments. It also notes that the structure of the health care industry and insurance coverage in the US has given it a lead over other developed economies when it comes to remote patient monitoring.