AI, Cloud to Empower the European Telehealth Market

Estimated reading time: 1 minute

Frost & Sullivan's recent analysis, Innovative Business Models Powering the Telehealth Market in Europe, finds that the severe impact of COVID-19 on the healthcare sector across Europe catapulted the use of telehealth. It ensured efficient access to essential healthcare services for patients with chronic conditions or those requiring acute and urgent care during the pandemic. The healthcare sector shift to the "anytime and anywhere" model in response to the pandemic resulted in a massive surge in the region's telehealth market. By 2026, the booming market is estimated to witness more than a four-and-a-half-fold growth, garnering $20.7 billion revenue from $4.41 billion in 2019, up at a strong compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 29.4%.

"Rising demand for consumer-centric services and tools in Europe's healthcare system is leading to the development of new business models," said Chandni Mathur, Healthcare & Life Sciences Senior Industry Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "Adoption of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality, blockchain, the internet of medical things (IoMT), wearables, and cloud computing is expected to disrupt the telehealth market. 5G will feature as a key enabler to boost the adoption and effective utilization of these disruptive technologies." 

Mathur added: "From a product type perspective, virtual visits will lead the overall telehealth market, registering growth at an astounding CAGR of 41.2% over the forecast period, followed by remote patient monitoring (RPM) at 20.4%. Further, mhealth and personal emergency response systems (PERS) will also contribute significantly to the market, garnering revenue at 27.5% and 7.7% CAGR, respectively." 

Telehealth equipment makers, service providers, and technology enablers have an uphill task catering to the pandemic-driven sudden demand, which will require business model revision across the telehealth ecosystem. As a result, telehealth market participants have the following growth opportunities: