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Technology

Mobile health, an opportunity for latin american developers

Mobile devices are currently an important tool in healthcare. While this trend (known as m-health) continues to climb, Latin American developers can benefit from this new market niche.  

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Published by ConnectAmericas

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HIGHLIGHTS

  • Half of smartphone users in the United States use their phones to gather health information 
  • Much of the innovative work in mobile health has emerged in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa 
  • Apps require particular design and development approaches 

A few years ago, the only existing method for obtaining information on health-related matters was to visit a doctor. In other words, one had to make an appointment, visit the doctor’s office and pay the fee (either directly to the professional or to the insurance). Today, however, half of smarthpone users in the US gather health information on their phones. What before implied several hours and hundreds of dollars, today only takes a few minutes and a small amount of money.  

Monitoring weight while on a diet, tracking blood pressure or receiving medicine reminder alerts are some examples of how these apps are operating in different markets.  

A study conducted by Susannah Fox and Maeve Duggan, from Pew Research Center, found that one fifth of smartphone users access this information through apps. In particular, “women under age 50, those better educated, and those with an annual household income over $75,000 are more likely to have downloaded a health app.” Furthermore, the so-called “m-health” (or mobile health) systems have great potential for healthcare in developing countries. According to a report by the United Nations Foundation and the Vodafone Foundation, there are several programs that use cellular phones as an important tool to combat diseases: “the long-term goal is that such programs will make healthcare more effective, and have a demonstrable and significant positive impact on clinical outcomes such as reduced infant mortality, longer life spans, and decreased contraction of diseases.”

An opportunity for the region’s entrepreneurs

Currently, m-health offers an opportunity for entrepreneurs engaging in the design of applications for mobile devices, whether these are targeted to high-income sectors or massive government programs. 

"Latin America has a large pool of tech entrepreneurs and significant health human resources"

According to an article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review, “Much of the innovative work in mobile health has emerged in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The innovation in these places is a result of multiple factors, including targeted private and public funding, flourishing mobile markets, and significant health gaps.”

Latin America could benefit from the combination of several of these factors and two unique important features: a large pool of tech entrepreneurs and significant health human resources. 

This market niche is particularly interesting, because – as noted in the same article - “mobile health applications from developing countries have the same potential to penetrate developed markets.” 

Considerations to keep in mind

A study conducted by a group of researchers from the University of Ohio identified three m-health business trends to be kept in mind by developers: 

  • First, they identified that “users gave high ratings to new, innovative apps that could take advantage of unique features of mobile devices, e.g. tracking tools. In other words, while m-health apps are by definition e-health applications running on mobile platforms, m-health apps have their own unique characteristics that warrant corresponding design and development approaches.” 
  • Second, “mobile devices suitable for m-health apps typically have multi-touch interfaces and include context-aware hardware sensors. It is critical for m-health developers to innovate and integrate support for these features in m-health apps.”
  • Mobile devices typically do not include certain sensors that can be useful for these applications, such as elements to measure pressure or control a health indicator. “To take advantage of the mobility of mobile devices and to display or track real-time measurement results for users, sensor vendors and app developers need to work together to facilitate interoperability of sensors and apps.” 
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