The recent proliferation of smart phones and mobile apps has put everything from face-to-face meetings to comparison shopping into the palms of our hands. Wireless technology is changing the way we communicate and do business, and proponents say it could soon have a similar game-changing impact on health care. Indeed, hundreds of mobile health apps are already available for relatively simple tasks such as logging and tracking blood pressure measurements, caloric intake, and sleep habits, but this is only the beginning of what could be a pervasive and increasingly sophisticated technology trend in the years ahead.

The recent proliferation of smart phones and mobile apps has put everything from face-to-face meetings to comparison shopping into the palms of our hands. Wireless technology is changing the way we communicate and do business, and proponents say it could soon have a similar game-changing impact on health care. Indeed, hundreds of mobile health apps are already available for relatively simple tasks such as logging and tracking blood pressure measurements, caloric intake, and sleep habits, but this is only the beginning of what could be a pervasive and increasingly sophisticated technology trend in the years ahead.

To succeed in today's market, medical devices not only have to incorporate the latest technology, they also must have the ability to treat patients in the safest and most affordable fashion. A number of efforts in this area are underway, including the movement for "connected health," which requires medical devices to be able to communicate with other devices or systems in the expanding and remote health care arena. In a recent interview, Medtech Insight spoke about the changing environment with Pamela McNamara, president of US operations at Cambridge Consultants Inc. She notes that a medical device is only a single component in a much larger system of operation, and manufacturers need to develop and improve products with that in mind.