mHealth
mHealth, or mobile health, refers to the utilization of mobile technology—such as smartphones and tablets—for healthcare purposes. It is an integral part of telehealth, enabling communication between patients and healthcare providers through secure methods like email and text messaging. mHealth encompasses mobile applications that help individuals monitor and manage their health, including tracking physical activity, dietary habits, and chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. The adoption of mHealth solutions has surged, with around 83% of American physicians integrating it into their practice, enhancing patient care by facilitating information sharing and supporting routine and preventative health assessments.
The technology not only allows healthcare providers to communicate with patients but also enables the transfer of medical records and test results, fostering better collaboration within healthcare teams. Importantly, mHealth has the potential to increase access to healthcare services, particularly in underserved regions, providing individuals with valuable health information and support without the need for in-person visits. This innovation can also help curb healthcare costs by reducing emergency room visits and enabling early intervention for chronic conditions, ultimately leading to improved health outcomes. The widespread use of mobile devices—over 500 billion globally—positions mHealth as a vital tool for enhancing health systems worldwide.
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mHealth
mHealth, which is a shortened form of "mobile health," is the use of mobile technology such as mobile phones and tablets for health care purposes. It is part of the overall telehealth process, which uses various forms of technology, including telephones and computers, to connect patients to health care professionals. mHealth includes such aspects as secure email and text communication between patients and medical providers, collaboration among members of the health care team, and the use of health care mobile applications—"apps"—by patients to monitor and/or improve their own health. With mobile technology's growing reach, experts see great potential for mHealth to help patients improve their own health and assist providers in overcoming challenges in delivering care.
Background
Handheld cell phones were first sold in 1984, though they were much larger and heavier than contemporary devices. Within a few years, smaller personal digital assistants, or PDAs, were available, and many business people used them. These devices, which allowed people to record and receive reminders about appointments and tasks, included a few simple built-in apps, such as calculators, contact lists, and text editors. The Newton, a PDA released by Apple in 1993, was the first to accept third-party apps, or apps that were developed by people other than those who designed the Newton that could be downloaded and used on the device.
Technology improved rapidly. The first games for these mobile devices were released in 1997, and companies began to create versions of their websites that could be read on mobile devices at around the same time. Smartphones began to emerge in the 2000s. Their enhanced technology allowed for more sophisticated apps. Apps were developed so quickly it is difficult to determine when the first health-related app was released. Within the first few years of the twenty-first century, many apps were designed to help people monitor various aspects of their health, such as step and calorie trackers, or provide medical information, such as apps with first aid instructions. Other technology, such as wearable fitness trackers that interact with mobile devices, followed.
Throughout this same period, medical providers began using mobile technology to interact with patients and/or gather and share information related to patient care. Offices developed electronic patient portals that allowed patients to ask questions, send photos or information, and connect with their physician in other ways. For example, a parent whose infant develops a rash can send a photo of the rash taken on their smartphone to the physician, who can identify if it is something serious and initiate care. Mobile health technology can also be used to transfer records, test results, and X-rays and other images among providers, allowing better communication among patients, their physicians, and other members of the health care team.
Overview
Within the first decades of the twenty-first century, the availability and accessibility of mHealth options had increased to the point where about 83 percent of American physicians were using it in some way for patient care. According to a 2024 Statista survey, 43 percent of the US respondents said they had used health apps within the past year. Medical providers generally see mHealth as a way to support in-person health care by allowing them to share information and deliver both routine and preventative health care. Mobile health technology has proven to be especially useful for the monitoring of chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, providing follow-up information and support for treatment begun in person, and allowing health-monitoring agencies to identify and track disease outbreaks and epidemics.
mHealth has become such a common part of the health care industry that it is often included as part of a physician's prescription for care after a traditional visit. A patient who needs to lose weight may be advised to download an app that tracks steps and calories, while a diabetic patient who needs to control blood glucose levels may be directed to an app that identifies the number of carbs and sugars in foods, which can affect blood glucose. Apps also exist that allow patients to record other aspects of health for later review by a physician, including pain levels and hours of sleep. Some of these apps integrate with devices such as blood pressure and blood glucose monitors, which allows patients to take their readings at home and share them with a physician to create a better overall picture of patient health.
Experts say the use of mHealth technology provides many options for improving health care. One way it helps public health is by providing people with access to large amounts of information on demand. This can improve health by helping people find information about the ways food, exercise, sleep, and other behaviors influence their health. It can also allow people to make informed decisions about when to seek professional assistance and when self-care is an option. The use of technology to connect with medical professionals opens new avenues for people to access health care as well. This can be beneficial in cases where people are reluctant to seek care; for instance, services are available where people can text a therapist, providing access to mental health assistance even if a person does not wish to go to a therapist's office.
The mobile nature of mHealth also means it improves access to health care in areas that are underserved and/or where medical providers are far away. As the use of mobile phones became more prevalent worldwide, mHealth became a means to improve the health of a large percentage of people across the world by increasing access to medical information and professionals. According to a 2024 Statista survey, 69 percent of Indian respondents reported they had used health apps, compared to 61 percent of Chinese respondents, 53 percent of Israeli respondents, and 51 percent of Australian respondents.
The use of mHealth also has the potential to make these improvements while helping to curb the cost of health care. The consumer use of mHealth technology, including smartphone apps and fitness trackers, has the potential to help reduce the instances of chronic conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, which increase health care costs. The ways mHealth improves the ability of physicians to monitor chronic conditions can also improve outcomes while providing beneficial care in a more cost-effective way than an in-person visit. The ability of patients to check symptoms with an app or a text to a provider can also reduce the number of emergency room visits and related costs.
Bibliography
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Stewart, Conor. "Share of Health App Users in Selected Countries as of 2024." Statista, 19 Nov. 2024, www.statista.com/forecasts/1181436/share-of-health-app-users-by-country. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
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