mHealth app developers are set to tailor apps for sufferers of chronic illnesses, with the intention of improving healthcare for people suffering from conditions such as diabetes, according to a new report from research firm, research2guidance.

The company’s Mobile Health Market Report 2010-2015 notes that today’s smartphone applications typically fall into the category of relatively unsophisticated health tracking and fitness tools, but says that this will change with the entrance of traditional health industry players into the mHealth app market.

With the potential for sophisticated monitoring, compliance, time-management, and a host of other applications to improve healthcare delivery to chronically ill patients, mHealth solutions promise to bring significant advances in the management of chronic diseases, the company believes.  

According to statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are more than 2bn patients with chronic diseases worldwide. In the US, the cost of treating chronic disease constitutes 83 per cent of total Medicaid and 96 per cent of total Medicare expenditure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).