mHealth — the 21st century's mobility in Healthcare — Part 3
Revisiting the 2010 GSMA / McKinsey outlook a decade on: what came true, what didn't, and where mHealth is heading next.
This final installment of the Healthcare in a mobile world — what is mHealth? series compares the 2010 GSMA / McKinsey outlook report with the mHealth reality of the past decade.
Statement A — IT spending
Healthcare IT spending increased significantly, from 3.4 % of revenues in 2005 to 5 % by 2019 — nearly doubling. But this is still below the cross-industry average of 5.8 %. Financial services (10 %), retail & e-commerce (6.2 %) and transportation / logistics (5.3 %) all outpace healthcare in technology investment, offering valuable lessons.
Statement B — Healthcare costs
The 2010 projection estimated healthcare expenditure would reach nearly 16 % of GDP by 2030 across select OECD nations. In reality, from 2005 to 2019 spending plateaued at approximately 9.9 % — growing only 0.07 % annually rather than the anticipated 2 %. OECD now expects expenditure to reach 10.7 % by 2030, with post-COVID impacts likely pushing it higher.
Patient expectations present an opportunity: “85 % of American adults have a smartphone and can download over 350,000 mHealth apps” across major platforms — citizen-driven innovation is a key trend.
Statement C — mHealth application models
Consultation services
Appointment scheduling apps and video consultations are now widely adopted. In Germany, physician adoption of video consultations surged from 1.8 % in 2017 to 52 % by May 2020, with patient download rates increasing 200 % during early pandemic months.
Examination
A 2018 Canadian study demonstrated an mHealth app achieving 94 % diagnostic accuracy in measuring blood flow, exceeding physician examination accuracy of 84 %. Regulatory uncertainty still limits clinical implementation of most such applications.
Monitoring
Medication adherence apps address WHO findings indicating adherence rates of only 50 % for long-term therapies. Wearable devices provide continuous vital-sign tracking previously available only in laboratory settings.
Prevention
SMS awareness campaigns in Bangladesh exemplify how mobile technology democratises health education across rural and underserved populations.
Assessment
Most predicted mHealth applications have materialised; complete healthcare integration remains incomplete. Video consultations, appointment scheduling and medication reminders are established. Remote examination technologies show promise but require regulatory approval before routine clinical adoption.
Conclusion
Healthcare faces rising costs despite plateaued spending growth from 2005 to 2019. Patient empowerment — driven by smartphone ubiquity and app availability — accelerates mHealth adoption. Retail-sector innovations, exemplified by Amazon’s convenience model, demonstrate the feasibility of large-scale technological transformation.
GenomSys addresses these developments through genomic mHealth solutions offering “the highest level of privacy and security” via its MPEG‑G standard and GenomYou app, enabling individuals to store and analyse genomic data on personal devices.
