New research from legal firm Pinsent Masons and YouGov suggests there is a ‘Mobile Mountain’ of barriers health operators must overcome before mobile health technology (mHealth) can be successfully adopted in the UK.

Lack of consumer understanding is a major barrier
NHS will need to take a central role
Nearly 2/3 of respondents unconcerned about medical data privacy
The online survey of over 2,000 adults found a lack of consumer understanding is acting as a major barrier to the development of mHealth products and services, which include everything from booking medical appointments on mobile to monitoring chronic conditions such as diabetes.

Prior to being given a definition of mHealth, the majority (73%) of respondents didn’t know what the term meant, and when explained 90% stated they never used mHealth services, despite the examples given including established applications such as fitness apps.
The survey also suggested that with levels of trust in the NHS relatively high (with 63% of respondents either trusting it 'a lot' or a 'little’), the organisation will need to play a central role.

Despite the on-going attention paid to privacy issues in the media a significant majority (62%) of respondents suggested they were unconcerned about the privacy of their medical data.

Matthew Godfrey-Faussett, Partner at Pinsent Masons, suggests that with the majority of consumers expressing trust in the NHS, as well as being comfortable with the privacy of their data, the public sector will be central to the longer term adoption of mHealth technology in the UK.

The ‘worried few’ – majority relaxed about mobile health data
However the ‘worried few’ did raise serious concerns. The minority who were concerned (38%) advocated having stricter controls over their data than are currently available, citing the following as examples of what would make them feel less concerned:

59% said being able to give consent on each occasion their data is being used
43% said if they were told specifically how the data may be used
50% said if reassured they could trust the system that held their medical data
Levels of enthusiasm present a ‘Mobile Mountain’ to climb
The survey revealed the extent to which Britain’s remain unaware when it comes to understanding what mHealth might mean for them personally. In some cases the groups most likely to benefit from such developments showed less enthusiasm than other sectors of the population, while basic applications proved more popular than those that might genuinely transform patient care.

31% of respondents  agreed mHealth services could improve the NHS
33% of respondents would be willing to use mHealth services to have their health monitored remotely
On whether mHealth services could make their lives easier, over twice as many people in full-time work agreed than retirees, 33% vs. 14%
More retirees were resistant to being remotely diagnosed via mHealth technology than those working full time, 29% vs. 16%
Respondents were most receptive to using mHealth services in relation to appointments, with 50% stating they would be willing to use an application to book one