Research

According to Berg Insight, shipments of connected wearables reached 19 million in 2014, up from 5.9 million devices in the previous year.

The entire market is set to nearly double in next 5 years thanks to the demand for high-quality healthcare and remote patient monitoring.

As part of its Health China 2020 strategy, the government wants to digitize the healthcare delivery, leveraging sophisticated healthcare IT systems.

The leader of fitness tracking market on the long run will remain Fitbit, despite their decision not to integrate with Apple's HealthKit.

This temporary dip in sales will be driven by an overlap in functionality between smart wristbands, other wearable fitness monitors and smart watches.

Interest is strong for general blood testing services, diagnosing eye problems, checking glucose levels, measuring lung function and diet tracking.

Nonetheless, healthcare professionals are embracing the technology with 67% of those surveyed either using telemedicine to provide services now.

Digital health startups skyrocketing funding record is in direct correlation with players such as Google, Merck and BlueCross BlueShield getting into the game.

Right now, only 5% of employees in the United States have a telemedicine benefit provided by their employers though the percentage is set to grow next year.

The market is opening up to new types of solutions followed by next-generation telecare systems such as remote visits and video communication.