Take Tunstall’s RTX3371 Wireless Telehealth Monitor, for example. The device just cleared the U.S. FDA and uses a slower GPRS cellular radio to receive and send data.

Vital signs are wirelessly collected from other compatible devices like weight scales and blood pressure units; the stats can then be forwarded on to doctors or hospitals by using the integrated cellular radio. As if that weren’t enough, the RTX3371 offers voice functionality for questionnaires on how a patient is feeling.

I still want to see this done by just one device… my smartphone.

Cell phones are now a common part of our everyday lives. But not
only is the technology taken for granted, its wide-reaching potential
is largely unrecognized. The technology that is found in cell phones
and PDAs is currently being applied to improve health services in developing countries.

The United Nations Foundation (UNF)
and Vodafone Foundation (VF) Technology Partnership is using mobile
health (mHealth) technology to support UN programs in developing
countries. Innovative mHealth projects are powering the collection of
health data, supporting diagnosis and treatment, and advancing
education and research in even the most remote and poverty stricken
environments.

In health care, time is of the essence. With
mobile technology, data can be quickly and accurately collected,
allowing health workers to coordinate their efforts and track the
success of health campaigns. This technology can also be used in
disaster and outbreak response, to track the spread of an epidemic in
real time. With the most up-to-date, easily accessible information and
communications, mHealth is revolutionizing healthcare delivery in much
of the developing world.

Read the rest here.

All of this holds exciting possibilities for the world of mobile health. Just as “eHealth” emerged as a buzzword in the early days of the Internet and later became an industry unto itself, “mHealth,” short for “mobile health,” is poised to see exponential growth in the U.S. in the coming years.

mHealth has the potential to transform healthcare among consumers as much, if not significantly more than the Internet has.  The relatively more portable, personal, and single task–focused characteristics of mobile are ideal for tracking and modifying health behavior, which is at the core of most health businesses and public initiatives. Around the globe, especially in regions where Internet or phone access is spotty at best, mHealth programs are already stepping in to fill this connectivity gap for millions of people. Progress in the U.S., however, has been slower – largely because of the pervasive use of the Internet and the types of mobile devices and plans available to consumers.

…

A recent Manhattan Research survey suggests these forays into mHealth are well-timed: over ten million online adults have looked up health information on their cell phones in the last year.

The outlook for mobile marketing and mHealth looks slow and steady, but certain. To remain competitive, marketers and product developers would do well to keep an eye on this developing market to maintain a competitive advantage as mobile becomes a critical piece of consumer channel mix over the next 18 months.