mHealth

One of the biggest challenges facing societies worldwide is how to make high-quality healthcare affordable and accessible for all. As the population expands in developing countries and ages in developed countries, the world is spending an increasingly high proportion of its gross domestic product on healthcare. Governments, individuals and private insurers worldwide are urgently seeking more cost-effective ways of preventing and treating chronic diseases and other debilitating conditions.

The widespread use of mobile connectivity in healthcare could significantly cut costs, increase the reach and accessibility of healthcare services and reduce the impact of illness on people’s lives.

To accelerate the development and adoption of embedded mHealth devices and solutions, the GSMA is engaging with the wider ecosystem and working with key players to understand their needs and to reduce the barriers to adoption.

As the cost of mobile modules falls, embedded mobile health solutions will proliferate, creating opportunities for the development of innovative new services. The time to act is now.

Embedded mHealth solutions can bring the following benefits:

For patients and society:

• Automatic health monitoring
• Prevention through continuous care and lifestyle coaching
• Better and faster treatment
• Elderly and ill can live at home rather than in a nursing home or hospital
• Greater life expectancy
• Fewer absences from work
• Lower health insurance premiums and lower public spending on healthcare

For healthcare providers:

• Fewer hospital visits and more efficient use of clinicians’ time
• Earlier intervention enabling better and more cost-effective treatment
• Access to more and better information about a patient’s condition and lifestyle
• Improved communications with patients
• Better management and understanding of epidemics and diseases

The mobile community brings:

• A worldwide ubiquitously connected network
• A familiar and trusted way of communicating
• Continuous innovation and investment