Health check right at your fingertips

The Asia Pacific region is set to become the world’s largest mobile market by 2020, with mobile health services representing the largest growth potential across the region. Monitoring services show a possible 55 per cent market share in 2017 with diagnostic services reflecting a 24 per cent market share, according to a GSMA PwC report.

The region will see a dramatic increase of mobile users over the next decade, with the market to grow close to US$7 Billion in 2017 at a CAGR of approximately 70 percent, according to the report.

A key reason for this growth is that mobile technologies are nearly the only choice for connectivity in many countries throughout the region. In a market that already comprises of more than half the world's mobile connections, this presents a huge opportunity.

Monitoring services and applications are taking advantage of this opportunity by creating key changes to health services everywhere. One innovative monitoring service that will help curb a leading cause of death in Singapore is called tele-stroke program harnessing.

This is an amazing piece of technology that allows patients the best and quickest care possible through a computer assisted program that diagnoses and treats stroke patients within the all important 3-hour window. This technology is currently used around the world, including at both Changi General (SGH) and Khoo Teck Puat hospitals in Singapore.

Mobile healthcare applications are growing as well, helping to make healthcare services easier through monitoring. For example, iPads are being used throughout the world to enhance healthcare services and many hospitals, including ones in Singapore, have iPad kiosks.

Hospitals in Australia are testing the iPad in both a clinical and an executive setting, with these same hospitals using a new application which allows doctors to view and update clinical patient information.

These applications also apply to serious catastrophic issues like disease and disasters. A robust and cost effective national disease surveillance system exists in the Philippines that use both SMS and the internet for disaster response and policy making.

A healthcare solution like that one is expected to save many lives.With the growth potential that is rising in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region, a wide array of mobile health resources are becoming quickly available. The growing technology of mobile health services, especially that of mobile health monitoring, will be responsible for improving the health of the population and saving lives.