Introduction and objectives:

To achieve the level of impact necessary to reverse current trends of rising incidence and costs of multimorbidity and enabling healthy ageing will require new health care policy and practices. Notwithstanding integrated care receiving worldwide attention in improving healthcare delivery, the value of data driven and mobile technology for integration of health and care services remains unclear. Nevertheless, person-centered and data driven mobile health (mHealth) has the potential to evolve integrated care from business process re-design towards a new digital health ecosystem that is truly centered around a person facing health challenges. The objective of our study was to identify the opportunities and barriers of mHealth to do this.

Highlights:

MHealth applications attack the underlying causes of the multimorbidity and ageing challenge in various ways. First, mHealth lifestyle apps promise to help in the prevention of chronic disease and multimorbidity by attacking high risk conditions such as obesity and diabetes. Secondly, personalised care promised by participative mHealth apps will reduce reliance on expensive, institutionalised care by augmenting the effectiveness of treatments. Finally, mHealth apps could empower patients by facilitating remote care, self-medication, independent living and more.