Patient monitoring and consultation via mobile devices is set for rapid growth according to a new report by research firm GlobalData. The global market for this type of service was worth US$1.2 in 2011 and will climb to US$11.8 billion by 2018, which a CAGR of 39 percent.
The company attributes future growth to the growing popularity of smartphones, tablets and apps.

The report says about 70 percent of healthcare apps are focused on the consumer market with the remainder aimed at the medical profession. Unsurprisingly the report believes the US is the main market for mobile health representing about half the global total (US$660 million in 2011). Europe and Asia Pacific contributed US$420 million and US$120 million respectively.