App developers, operators and handset manufacturers are being urged to help improve Europe’s mHealth sector, which could lead to €99 billion in healthcare costs by 2017.
The European Commission launched a consultation into the technology today (10 April), aiming to find out what security safeguards need to be in place to ensure data is protected, what the best way to promote new mHealth technology across Europe is and what performance and legal requirements should apply to apps. The EC said there are also issues over the lack of interoperability between products.
There are almost 100,000 mHealth apps across the likes of iTunes, Google Play and the Windows Marketplace and the EU estimates that half of the 3.4 billion smartphone owners in 2017 will be using those sorts of apps.
European Commission Vice-President Neelie Kroes, responsible for the Digital Agenda, said: “mHealth will reduce costly visits to hospitals, help citizens take charge of their own health and wellbeing, and move towards prevention rather than cure. It is also a great opportunity for the booming app economy and for entrepreneurs.”
The European Union has been separately funding research into mHealth. It cited a hospital in Graz, Austria, where the Reaction Project has been used to improve the flow of information around the building. The system monitors the likes of blood glucose levels and administered drugs, storing the data on a server and then sending it to staff who are using tablets while treating patients.
Meanwhile, in Spain, Orange announced in February that patients at the Catalonian health service Fundació TICSalut were using its Mobile Connect security system to access medical information and speak to healhtcare professionals. Five million citizens will use the service, which allows users to log into systems by using a personal code of click-validation process.