Ralf-Gordon Jahns, Head of Research at research2guidance, points out, "Our findings indicate that the long-expected mobile revolution in healthcare is set to happen. Both healthcare providers and consumers are embracing smartphones as a means to improving healthcare."


Top mHealth publishers manage to generate more than three million free and 300,000 paid downloads in the USA on the iOS platform. The reach on other platforms and in other countries differs a lot but also shows the increase of business potential for mHealth apps.


Not only are consumers taking advantage of smartphones to manage and improve their own health: a significant number (fifteen percent) of mHealth applications are primarily designed for healthcare professionals. These include CME (Continued Medical Education), remote monitoring, and healthcare-management applications.


Currently there are 97,000 mHealth applications in major app stores, 42% of them adhering to the paid business model. With more and more traditional healthcare providers joining the mobile applications market, the business models will broaden to include healthcare services, sensor, advertising, and drug-sales revenues.


"With the growing sophistication level of mHealth applications, only nine percent of the total market revenue in the next five years will come from application-download revenue," explains Patrick Houck, analyst at research2guidance. "About 84% of total mHealth application-market revenue will come from related services and products such as sensors."


The "Global Mobile Health Market Report 2013-2017" by research2guidance is a business guide for traditional healthcare companies and mHealth specialists, as well as for mobile operators wishing to successfully engage in the new mHealth market.