Article Preview
Top1. Introduction
Mobile computing devices are the primary tool for disseminating and using commercial, health, medical, and military applications (Avancha, et al. 2012; West & Bleiberg, 2014). The International Telecommunication Union reports that in 2013 95% of people lived in an area that is covered by cellular networks, while mobile broadband networks (3G, 4G or above) were already accessible to 84% of the global population (ITU ICT Facts and Figures, 2013). The reported popularity of smartphones has been the main driver for increase in the development and adoption of mHealth apps (Wallis, Blessing, Dalwai, & Shin, 2017). The healthcare industry has experienced a significant increase in the utilization of mHealth applications. In 2017, there were about 325,000 mHealth apps available for download (Global mHealth, 2019). Another 2017 study reported that there have been 259,000 mHealth apps available for consumer download through the major app stores (Lee & Kim, 2017). It is estimated that by 2025, mHealth apps will generate approximately $111.1 billion revenue (Global mHealth, 2019). At the same time, chronic disease has been reported as the leading cause of death worldwide, while chronic disease management apps are projected at $15 billion, which is over 70 percent of the mHealth apps revenue (Mabo, Swar, & Aghili, 2018). For those reasons, mHealth apps have been instituted in general to mitigate the mortality rate associated with chronic diseases through overall disease management or prevention approaches. As depicted in Figure 1, mHealth apps are widely offered by both healthcare providers and third party developers alike. These devices range from communication capabilities, health information systems, informational resources, and clinical software applications (Ventola, 2014).
Figure 1. Availability of mHealth Apps: Providers vs. 3-rd Party Developers (Pennic, 2016)