An increasing number of people are opting for home-based health systems for regular health monitoring. This has led to a rapid rise in the number of mobile health apps that people are downloading on their smartphones. A recent survey conducted by Research2Guidance says that the market for mobile phone health apps is expected to double this year at $1.3 billion, and this is just the beginning.

The global healthcare market is estimated to be a staggering $6 trillion a year according to Research2Guidance. Therefore, the healthcare IT mobile apps market has not even scratched the surface as yet. The latest home health monitoring systems usually include facilities for integrated communication, such as mobile connectivity. The market for these health systems has been consistently growing at a rate of 18 to 20 percent.

PwC released a new report indicating the inevitability of the expansion of medical IT sector with the integration of mobile technologies with health systems. Analysts expect explosive market growth in this area, which will be a global phenomenon, and not just restricted to the U.S. market.

Consumers are highly aspirational about m-health, and view it has a means to enhance quality and convenience of healthcare, while reducing its costs of delivery. However, skepticism still pervades among a significant section of the population regarding the actual benefits of m-health, and there is initial resistance to adoption of this new technology.

The people who are already using mobile healthcare IT systems are generally enthusiastic about the perceived benefits regarding their health management. A large number of people who are already using mobile health systems say that their visits to the doctor have decreased. Perhaps the community that is more skeptical about the effectiveness and benefits of mobile health technology is the doctor community. Not many doctors currently suggest their patients to make use of mobile health apps as a health management option.