Denmark is a leading EU country in mHealth market readiness – preliminary results

The preliminary results of our study show that Denmark is among 25 EU countries performing the best in mHealth adoption by doctors and patients.

The results are based on the 2015 mHealth App Developer Economics study which is the largest mHealth study conducted by research2guidance and HIMSS. The study will uncover the current status and trends of the global mHealth app market and for the first time it will also focus on mHealth market readiness of EU countries. It aims to distinguish which countries are already well prepared for mHealth app business, which countries are attractive for app developers and what are the main barriers for a market entry.

There are six criteria which we consider in evaluating the market readiness of a country:

eHealth adoption (e.g. patients and doctors usage of mobile and internet technology)
level of digitalization (e.g. compatible devices penetration, internet users)
market potential (e.g. market size, health expenditures)
ease of starting business (e.g. time needed to start business, taxes)
mHealth regulations (e.g. implementation of shared EHR, data protection laws)
developer index (e.g. most attractive countries for developers)

In the eHealth adoption indicator Denmark seems to be the most eHealth friendly country followed by Finland and Spain. Those countries have in common high level of digitalization in doctor’s offices and have above average patient’s usage of mobile and internet technologies for searching health information and making doctor’s appointments online.

Preliminary results from the mHealth App Developer survey also provide interesting insights into mHealth market readiness and attractiveness:

UK currently offer the best market conditions for mHealth app business
Germany was within the top 3 countries with the best conditions as well as with poor conditions
The most important for favourable mHealth market conditions is acceptance of apps by doctors
The main barriers for market entry are prohibitive laws and low level of digitalization in doctor’s offices

The mHealth Economics 2017 Report is out.
Download the report for free!