The rise of the smart phone has taken the healthcare industry in an exciting direction. Though it's a relatively new industry, mobile health companies have created over 10,000 apps that help expand access to care, educate patients about their medical conditions, boost treatment adherence, get patients to engage with medical staff, let doctors monitor patients remotely, and so much more.
With all the interest and optimism around mobile health, you might be wondering how many patients are using mobile health apps? Are other physicians recommending apps? What are healthcare providers' views of the industry?
To answer these questions, our eVisit team did a quick survey of some of the top reports about mobile health and put together this list of mobile health statistics. We think you'll find them interesting - we sure did!
Here are 32 must-know stats about the mobile health field.
Mobile Health Growth
- The market is expected to grow to 26.560 billion dollars by 2017.¹
- U.S. smartphone ownership has increased from 35% of adults in 2011 to 64% in 2014.¹
- 10% of Americans own a smartphone but do not have any other form of high-speed internet access at home beyond their phone’s data plan.¹
- 15% of Americans ages 18-29 are heavily dependent on a smartphone for online access.¹
- 62% of smartphone owners have used their phone in the past year to look up information about a health condition.¹
- 17% more physicians have started using mobile health in 2015 than 2014.²
- ePrecribing was the most used health care app in 2015.²
- In 2014, 34% of all U.S. adults have downloaded at least one app that is meant to support healthy living and 19% of U.S. adults have downloaded and regularly use a mobile health app.²
Average User Statistics
9. Average age of Mobile Health User is 35.³
10. 54% of users are male.³
11. 87% use smart phones instead of tablets.³
12. 33% use iPhones.³
13. 61% have downloaded a mobile health app.³
14. 85% rely on social media for medical information.³
15. 76% are on some kind of prescription medication.³
16. 30% are caregivers of some sort.³
How Hospitals react to trends
17. 59% think mobile health will change how information on health is found.4
18. 51% said that it will change how health care providers send information.4
19. 49% said it will change health management.4
20. 48% said it would change how they manage chronic conditions.4
21. 52% said that it would make healthcare more convenient for both medical professionals and patients.4
22. 48% believe it will improve healthcare quality.4
23. 46% believe it will reduce costs of healthcare in a substantial way.4
24. 48% believe that it will change how they communicate with providers on a professional level.4
Mobile Health Usage Trends
25. Physicians are 2.5 times more likely to own a tablet then the average consumer.5
26. 40% of physicians feel that their tablet cuts down on administrative time.5
27. The number of nurses and physicians using smartphones in their everyday practices increased by 10 percent in 2012, from 78 percent in 2012 to 86 percent in 2013.5
28. There are over 10,000 apps available, but only 28% of smartphone users find the apps to be very satisfying to use.5
29. 85% of physicians feel that patients should monitor their vitals from home, like weight, blood sugar levels and other vitals.5
30. 52% of patients would not mind using video conferencing to get consultations from their physicians.6
31. 31% of organizations offer a specific app for patients. 30% are currently developing an app, and 10% have created an app marketplace to distribute apps internally or externally.6
32. A majority (51%) identify lack of funding as the top barrier for the effective use of mobile technology.6
Special thanks to all our sources for doing their research and making our lives easier!
