Research

Also, almost half (49%) now want their doctors to use data from their fitness tracker and/or from health apps as part of their care.

Smartwatch sales have picked up considerably during 2015 and shipments are on the track to reach 19.5 million units by the end of the year.

2015 was a record year for industry consolidation, with M&A activity nearly doubling in volume -- there were 180 deals and $6 billion in disclosed activity.

Consumer purchase intent is highest for smartwatches, followed by fitness apps (30%), dedicated wearable activity trackers (27%) and smart apparel (27%).

2016 will be a year of firsts for healthcare consumers, organizations and new entrants as innovative tools and services enter the New Health Economy.

The two main applications are monitoring of patients with implantable cardiac rhythm management devices and monitoring of patients with sleep therapy devices.

Overall, 21 million wearable devices have been shipped in Q3, compared to 7.1 million units shipped in the same quarter last year.

Those relying on telehealth used it for diagnoses or treatment (55%), chronic disease management (26%), second opinion (20%) and follow-up (21%).

However, the vast majority of mHealth app publishers have not yet been able to generate significant revenues with their apps.

On contrary, employees in the healthcare industry say their employers allow using consumer messaging apps for communication with colleagues.