Healthcare in your pocket: unlocking the potential of mHealth

A consultation on #mHealth or mobile health was launhed yesterday by the European Commission. The Commission is asking for help in finding ways to enhance the health and wellbeing of Europeans with the use of mobile devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, patient monitoring devices and other wireless devices.

mHealth is an emerging part of #eHealth @EU_eHealth, where Information & Communication Technologies are used to improve health products, services and processes. mHealth services put the patient in control, giving greater independence, and helping to prevent health problems.

European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes (@NeelieKroesEU), responsible for the Digital Agenda, said: "mHealth will reduce costly visits to hospitals, help citizens take charge of their own health and wellbeing, and move towards prevention rather than cure. It is also a great opportunity for the booming app economy and for entrepreneurs".

European Commissioner for Health Tonio Borg (@borgton) said: "mHealth has a great potential to empower citizens to manage their own health and stay healthy longer, to trigger greater quality of care and comfort for patients, and to assist health professionals in their work. As such, exploring mHealth solutions can contribute to modern, efficient and sustainable health systems".

Some examples of mHealth could involve an app that measures your vital signals such as blood pressure or an app to help administer insulin to a diabetic, by transmitting control signals to the pump from a mobile platform.

There are nearly 100,000 mHealth #apps already available across multiple platforms such as iTunes, Google play, Windows Marketplace, BlackBerry World.

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SOURCE & COPYRIGHT: © European Commission