SAP and Mobile Healthcare Suite |
In an article titled X-rays and iPads: the network healthcare evolution, the author Sean Gallagher identifies a number of areas where mobility and M2M (machine to machine) will work together to revolutionize healthcare:
- Monitoring patients’ health more proactively with networked devices, ranging from wirelessly networked medicine bottle lids to worn or embedded sensors that report back on vital signs.
- Coordinating care with the help of analytic tools in the cloud and a wealth of individual and collective patient data.
- Connecting physicians directly with patients over PCs or mobile devices for between-appointment follow-ups.
- Medical devices purchased by consumers used to self-monitor health conditions will account for more than 80% of wireless devices in 2016, according to a study conducted by IMS Research.
- The proportion of wireless devices used in managed telehealth programs is predicted to increase from 5% in 2011 to 20% in 2016, according to the study.
- By the end of 2012 mHealth apps will have been downloaded 44 million times. By 2016, that number is expected to increase to 142 million downloads.
- By this summer, 13,000 consumer health apps will be available for download on the iPhone. About half of those (6,000) are for medical professionals.
- More than 80% of physicians own a mobile device, compared to 50% of the general U.S. population.
- About 30% of physicians are using smartphones and tablets to treat patients.
SAP has been showing up at the major M2M events this year (this is new), and even announced the kick-off of an M2M initiative. SAP partners like ILS Technology are also accelerating their M2M activities and focus on SAP ERP users these days. I look forward to watching this trend unfold.
*************************************************************
Kevin Benedict, Mobile Industry Analyst, Mobile Strategy Consultant and SAP Mentor Alumnus
Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict
Join the SAP Enterprise Mobility and Sybase Unwired Platform Groups
Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.