Mobile Medical App Market Shows Explosive Growth

These are the latest findings of Kalorama Information (New York, NY, USA), an independent medical market research firm.

The market for mobile medical apps was worth about USD 150 million in 2011, and includes smartphone applications for numerous types of needs, including education, health management, data management, health information, and other workflow processes. Among the major factors driving this growth is the conversion of major healthcare organizations to electronic medical record (EMR) systems. Not only is the medical community using smartphones and their applications for basic work, they are replacing some of the tasks that would have previously been done on a desktop or laptop computer.

The medical app market, which holds only 1%-2% of the entire market for mobile apps, is projected to grow at a rate of 25% annually over the next five years, compared to the impressive 23% growth estimated for the standard apps market. The growing number of healthcare professionals utilizing these apps in everyday business activities is contributing to the market segment growing at a faster rate than some other categories of apps. The growing use of mobile devices and medical applications for these devices has also prompted the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to provide more oversight to the segment.

“The medical app market is growing at a faster rate than the standard app market,” said report author Melissa Elder, of Kalorama Information. “They are being heavily utilized by professionals and welcomed by healthcare organizations seeking to make workers more productive.”

Some of the popular apps for the healthcare market include Epocrates, Critical Care ACLS, The Sanford Guide to Antimicrobial Therapy, Skyscape Medical Resources, Nursing Central, The ECG Guide, Care360 Mobile, STAT ICD-9 LITE, Tarascon Pharmacopoeia, MyGlucoHealth Wireless, Netter’s Atlas of Human Anatomy, The Allscripts Mobile Homecare EMR App, and iChart.

According to the report, part of the revenue growth is being driven by prices rather than volume. Despite the higher price tag for most medical apps (averaging USD 15 per app), the number of downloads is lower than other categories, keeping medical apps high growth-wise but on the lower end of total dollars earned in comparison to other app areas.

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Kalorama Information