The number of remotely monitored patients reached 76.7 million worldwide in 2023 as the market acceptance continues to grow in several key verticals. 

 

This is according to Berg Insight, the world’s leading IoT market research provider, which released new findings on the mHealth market. 

 

This number includes all patients enrolled in mHealth care programmes in which connected medical devices are used as a part of the care regimen. Connected medical devices used for various forms of personal health tracking are not included in this figure. Berg Insight estimates that the number of remotely monitored patients will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.8% to reach 140.1 million by 2028.

 

The three main applications are monitoring of patients with sleep therapy devices, glucose level monitoring of patients with diabetes and monitoring of patients with implantable cardiac rhythm management (CRM) devices. Sleep therapy is by far the most connected segment, dominated by ResMed. In 2023, approximately 32.2 million sleep therapy patients were remotely monitored, which has more than doubled since 2018. 

 

The growth is largely driven by the compliance monitoring requirements introduced in the US and across European countries. Glucose level monitoring has grown significantly in the last years and is now the second largest segment with 12.6 million connections at the end of the year. 

 

Increased adoption of CGM

The growth is driven by the increased adoption of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems from providers such as Abbott and Dexcom. The CRM market is led by companies such as Medtronic, Abbott, Boston Scientific and BIOTRONIK that started to include connectivity in CRM solutions more than two decades ago. 

 

Other device categories include ECG, telehealth, medication compliance, blood pressure monitors and others. The fastest growing market segments in the next five years are anticipated to be remote ECG monitoring and medication compliance monitoring. Today, the leading connected healthcare players in these segments include forward-thinking incumbents as well as innovative new entrants such as AliveCor, Boston Scientific, Compliance Meds Technologies, Evondos, GE HealthCare, Phillips, Hero, InfoBionic.Ai, iRhythm Technologies, MedMinder, MedReady and VitalConnect.

 

mHealth software and services are one of the most rapidly developing parts of the mHealth value chain. This segment includes platforms and software solutions that enable remote patient monitoring by utilising connected devices like wearables and sensors to collect vital signs data and health metrics in real-time. 

 

Service providers

Service providers in this space offer comprehensive solutions that integrate data analytics, telehealth capabilities and patient engagement tools to ensure continuous and efficient care. Companies that specialise in this area include Accuhealth, Amwell, Aptar Digital Health, Alira Health (Bepatient), Biofourmis, Doccla, Huma Therapeutics, Omron Healthcare (Luscii), Medixine, Medisanté, MedM, S3 Connected Health, Current Health, SHL Telemedicine, Teladoc Health (Livongo), TytoCare, Enovation and Welldoc.

 

The demand for home monitoring solutions has surged in recent years. Healthcare systems around the world have undergone a transformation to adopt to value-based care – a care model that requires care solutions to be both cost-efficient and of high quality. 

 

Healthcare industry players have responded to this by developing data-driven solutions, such as remote diagnostics solutions, allowing healthcare providers to assess and diagnose patients from a distance. Self-engagement apps and compliance monitoring solutions ensure that patients adhere to prescribed treatments, enhancing the effectiveness of medical regimens. 

 

AI also chips in

Artificial intelligence is also being added to mHealth solutions, aiding in disease detection and personalised treatment by analysing large datasets. “With advancements in AI and machine learning, mHealth platforms are evolving from monitoring tools to comprehensive systems that assist in diagnosing and treating patients, paving the way for more effective healthcare,” says Vatsala Raina, IoT Analyst at Berg Insight. 

 

Digital health solutions can indeed help ease the burden of an already strained healthcare sector, as they ease the access to patient data and both increases the efficiency and improves the quality of care. “The growth on this market is expected to continue at a high pace, as regulations and reimbursement rates are being changed in favour of remote patient monitoring solutions in many countries,” concludes Raina.--TradeArabia News Service