Around 85,000 visitors from 201 countries attended the Mobile World Congress 2014 (MWC), the mobile phone industry’s leading congress, organized by GSMA in Barcelona, Spain
Apart from the technological innovations and devices of the future, the MWC has become an important space for m-Health. In fact, leading professionals in the sector analyzed the role of mobility in the health sector and the governmental action that might help to promote it.
Neelie Kroes, European Commissioner for the Digital Agenda, said that the expansion of ultra-fast networks is an essential step on the path that must be followed. Seeking to encourage a more efficient, digitalized healthcare system, Kroes makes the argument for a single telecommunications market. For this reason, during her presentation she proposed a free roaming service to facilitate internationalization of access to applications and healthcare tools.
According to Jeanine Vos, executive director of m-Health and m-Education at GMSA, mobile applications can be very useful for self-monitoring by patients. “They can warn of complications and improve the health of citizens for longer,” Vos said, speaking to the Spanish portal, Silicon News. She also emphasized that the European healthcare industry could save 98 billion dollars over the next 5 years if m-Health solutions are implemented.
In addition, the CEO of GSMA, John Hoffman, referring to the results of MWC 2014, said: “Apart from the number of visitors and companies participating, the continuous expansion of the event shows that mobile phones are omnipresent devices in our daily lives and are increasingly more integrated in our daily activities.”
E-Health Reporter Latin America has selected three projects presented at the Mobile World Congress 2014 that could have a significant impact on m-Health:
Neurosurfer: With the goal of obtaining information about how the user’s brain works in real time, this application was designed with a 3D environment for tests. It is also useful in facilitating early diagnosis of mental diseases (such as Parkinson’s) and optimizing cognitive improvement.
iPediatric: This is an pediatric consultation app for the iPhone and Android that helps to evaluate the symptoms and growth of babies from 0 to 12 months. In emergency cases, it can even list the steps to take in administering first aid.
Galaxy S5: Samsung has launched a mobile device that incorporates a cardiac rhythm sensor in its rear. And via the S Health application, it can help users to create a more complete survey of their physical wellbeing. “Our vision of preventative healthcare means 24×7 monitoring,” said Young Sohn, President and Head of Strategy at Samsung Electronics, at an m-Health roundtable at the fair.
An m-Health city
Oulu, Finland, might be considered one of the most committed cities in the world to the promotion of innovative technologies to improve its inhabitants’ quality of life.
Since 2008, the 190,000 citizens of Oulu have formed part of a self-monitoring health program. Although the users make use of a platform to monitor their health habits, head doctors can only access the information with prior authorization.
The good results and positive reaction of the patients have caught the attention of the national government of Finland, which is enthusiastic about expanding the initiative throughout the country.
“Our greatest achievement has been to create easy to use applications, focused on the citizen,” explained Sinnika Salo, the Mayor of Oulu, at MWC2014.
