Manhattan Research’s metrics around physician uptake of smartphones have become industry standard: According to their last report, more than two-thirds of physicians are using smartphones today and by 2012 some 81 percent will be using smartphones devices. Manhattan compiled a new report, largely pulling from the data from last year's to analyze how physicians are using their mobile phones -- to access clinical content and perform quick tasks.

Judging by MobiHealthNews own separate research into the types of apps available for healthcare professionals within various smartphones' application stores, medical reference and medical calculator apps are among the most numerous apps available on the market today. (For more from MobiHealthNews paid research report, The World of Health and Medical Apps, visit our research site here.)

Manhattan believes that by 2012 and once smartphone penetration among physicians has reached 81 percent, about half of those physicians will use their smartphones for administrative functions, learning, and patient care.

Within the medical reference app category that MobiHealthNews' research pulled together from various app stores, one of the largest subcategories was medical reference materials for medical students. Administrative function applications are not nearly as popular as medical reference apps and if Manhattan's prediction is true, then there is still a big opportunity to provide admin related apps to healthcare professionals through app stores.

“Handheld devices are becoming more and more useful to physicians, partly because of the boom in physician-oriented apps and portable content,” Monique Levy, Senior Director of Research and lead author of the Manhattan report stated in a press release. “Healthcare marketers can’t afford to miss leveraging this channel to influence sales.”

Read on for more from MobiHealthNews report on the types of medical applications currently available
For more from Manhattan Research's latest report, read the firm's press release here