Last April we published a list of "five must-read mobile health reports" that were free to anyone to download. The list was an instant hit and in recent weeks I have had requests from a number of people for a refreshed list. As of March 2011, there have been four free, must-read mHealth reports by my count -- and together they do a fine job of encapsulating a good portion of the mHealth conversation. Reading (or even skimming -- some are lengthy) these four reports (in addition to last year's five) makes for a fine primer on mHealth.
There are a number of worthwhile paid research reports out there -- including our own reports on smartphone health apps, tablets, quarterly reviews, etc. -- but these four free reports published since our round-up last April, should get mHealth noobies feet wet.
As we said last year, if you haven’t yet soaked in these four mHealth reports, you are handicapping your mHealth acumen. Here’s four freely downloadable reports you must read:
The Connected Patient: Charting the Vital Signs of Remote Health Monitoring by Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, M.A., M.H.S.A., published by the California Health Care Foundation (February 2011)
CHCF's description: "Remote health monitoring technologies — devices that gather a patient’s health data and relay it to a care provider — have been the subject of much study in recent years. Proponents have lauded their potential to reduce health care costs and improve patients’ quality of life, while skeptics pointed to the lack of persuasive clinical evidence supporting such claims. Meanwhile, technology vendors have begun testing the waters, launching both pilot projects and products into what they hope will prove to be a robust market. Whether those expectations can be met remains an open question. Although numerous research projects have tested the benefits of remote health monitoring, the results continue to be mixed, at best. And difficult questions persist about who wants, who needs, and who stands to benefit from remote health applications, as well as who should bear the cost. This report describes the range of technologies that can enable remote health monitoring, along with the evidence for and against their efficacy and the forces that are driving and impeding broader adoption. The analysis concludes that even if all the remaining issues are favorably settled, widespread use will require a fundamental shift in the way health care services are structured and paid for."
Why we recommend it: Sarasohn-Kahn conducted a number of interviews with an impressive stable of thinkers including the American Telemedicine Association's Jonathan Linkous, Intel Fellow Eric Dishman, MedApps' Kent Dicks and many more. The report is concise and focused on one of the most important facets of mobile health -- remote patient monitoring. Download It Here
Amplifying the Impact: Examining the Intersection of Mobile Health and Mobile Finance - A discussion guide for collaborative insight presented by the World Economic Forum, in partnership with the mHealth Alliance
WEF and mHealth Alliance's description: "In looking at the rapidly expanding adoption of mobile communications, one of the most promising opportunities for positive socioeconomic change lies in the scaling of mobile health and mobile financial services (MFS). In fact, more people today have access to a mobile phone than to clean water or the electrical grid. By 2012, it is estimated that there will be 1.7 billion people who have mobile phones but no bank account. Of those individuals, approximately 1 billion will also lack access to healthcare systems. Providing services in an affordable and sustainable manner for these individuals is a significant challenge. While reduced costs and advances in network coverage are accelerating, the underlying business models to sustain this growth are unclear. It goes without saying that the issues of extreme poverty are highly complex and interconnected. The World Health Organization (WHO) cites inadequate healthcare financing mechanisms as one of the two biggest challenges to improving health outcomes for the poor. Both mHealth and MFS are nascent industries and fragmented along multiple dimensions. While there are now well over 5 billion mobile subscribers in the world, it arguably is still at subscale in terms of the deployment of value-added services on a global basis."
Why we recommend it: While most of the mobile health conversations taking place in the US are focused on the developed world, the mobile health opportunity is very much global. This report paints an unvarnished portrait of the global mobile health opportunity and includes input from dozens of global health luminaries, including Medic's Josh Nesbit, DataDyne's Joel Selaniko, mHealth Alliance's David Aylward, Vodafone's Joaquim Croca, France Telecom's Thierry Zylberbery and many, many more. If you're looking to better understand the role mobile health could play in the world's poor, this is report to read. If you're not, then you should be. Download It Here
A Call for Clarity: Open Questions on the Scope of FDA Regulation of mHealth, a whitepaper prepared by the mHealth Regulatory Coalition
mHealth Regulatory Coalition's description: "The $2.5T healthcare industry is poised to fully embrace the benefits and efficiencies of mobile cellular communications, products, and services. Much of today’s care could be delivered with better quality and efficiency and less cost through the use of mobile technologes, all while improving the lives of patients through treatment in the comfort of their own homes and during their daily routines. Unfortunately, the current uncertainty around the scope and impact of FDA regulatory requirements is impeding progress and adoption of these new technologies. The mHealth Regulatory Coalition is forming to focus on that challenge. The goal of the mHealth Regulatory Coalition is to work with FDA to write a guidance document that addresses what gets regulated and what does not. This coalition will be temporary, existing just long enough to accomplish the purpose of drafting the proposed guidance document. Estimated time for completing the process is one year."
Why we recommend it: This white paper breaks down the current FDA regulatory environment for mobile health entrepreneurs and medical device incumbents. The paper includes recommendations from the group on how the FDA should go about regulating the industry and serves as a potential preview of the agency's forthcoming maneuvers in and around mobile health. Not sure where FDA will draw the line? The mHRC looks to guide them with this document. Download It Here
Mobile Health 2010 by Susannah Fox of the Pew Internet & American Life Project in partnership with the California Health Care Foundation
Pew's description: "The online health-information environment is going mobile. 17% of cell phone users have used their phone to look up health or medical information and 9% have software applications or "apps" on their phones that help them track or manage their health. The results in this report are based on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International between August 9 and September 13, 2010, among a sample of 3,001 adults, age 18 and older. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish and included 1,000 cell phone interviews. For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. For results based on Internet users (n=2,065) and cell phone users (n=2,485), the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points."
Why we recommend it: This report dropped last October but it may be the most important one on this list. Fox's survey includes the only adoption numbers we have for mobile health apps in the US. The survey also breaks down the demographics for those using health apps today -- and some of the results are unexpected. With this report, Pew and Susannah Fox continue to be the best source for data on mobile health in the USA. Download It Here
