Dec 14, 2011
The UK Department of Health has undertaken a campaign to expand the use of mobile medical devices and services to cover three million patients over the next five years.
Launched in collaboration with the National Health Service, industry and professional partners, the campaign entails deploying mobile medical devices to three million patients through 2016. The campaign’s work plan remains in early stages of development, however, according to E-Health Insider.
Because the capital investments required for establishing telehealth systems can be prohibitively high, according to the NHS, the Department of Health will consult industry to identify ways to address cost issues.
The campaign follows an effort the Department of Health began in 2008 to assess how telehealth would impact the NHS and British social care services; that assessment concluded that proper implementation of telehealth systems could result in 15% fewer A&E visits, 20% fewer emergency admissions, 14% fewer routine or elective health care visits and 14% fewer inpatient hospital stays.
If those predictions hold up, the case for governmental involvement in driving adoption of mobile medical devices becomes compelling.
In July, the MHRA issued an updated guidance document on clinical investigations to be carried out in the UK.
The worldwide market for telehealth products and services will reach more than $1 billion by 2016—and may reach $6 billion by 2020—according to a new study by medical electronics market research provider InMedica.