Research2guidance: Smart mobile devices drive healthcare business opportunities

Despite its huge potential, the mobile health market has had a slow start, hampered by regulation, privacy and a lack of mobile standards. Industry players - healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, government regulators and others - are still searching for a clear and effective path forward.

According to a survey of mobile medical developers and marketers by research2guidance, smartphones are the key to opening up the mobile medical industry, followed by tablets. The popularity of both is rising rapidly, creating business opportunities in the mobile medical market.

Pew research found that different groups have different needs for mobile medical resources. Men are more likely to track their health through mobile devices than women; black and Hispanic people, as well as people aged 18-29, have a higher rate of using mobile pages and apps to obtain medical information.

Mobile phones give users the tools to better manage their medical records. They can use them to find and share their medical information, and more and more users are taking control of their own health, creating new opportunities for marketers and developers.