Last April we published a list of "five must-read mobile health reports" that were free to anyone to download. The list was an instant hit and in recent weeks I have had requests from a number of people for a refreshed list. As of March 2011, there have been four free, must-read mHealth reports by my count -- and together they do a fine job of encapsulating a good portion of the mHealth conversation. Reading (or even skimming -- some are lengthy) these four reports (in addition to last year's five) makes for a fine primer on mHealth.

There are a number of worthwhile paid research reports out there -- including our own reports on smartphone health apps, tablets, quarterly reviews, etc. -- but these four free reports published since our round-up last April, should get mHealth noobies feet wet.

As we said last year, if you haven’t yet soaked in these four mHealth reports, you are handicapping your mHealth acumen. Here’s four freely downloadable reports you must read:

The Connected Patient: Charting the Vital Signs of Remote Health Monitoring by Jane Sarasohn-Kahn, M.A., M.H.S.A., published by the California Health Care Foundation (February 2011)

CHCF's description: "Remote health monitoring technologies — devices that gather a patient’s health data and relay it to a care provider — have been the subject of much study in recent years. Proponents have lauded their potential to reduce health care costs and improve patients’ quality of life, while skeptics pointed to the lack of persuasive clinical evidence supporting such claims. Meanwhile, technology vendors have begun testing the waters, launching both pilot projects and products into what they hope will prove to be a robust market. Whether those expectations can be met remains an open question. Although numerous research projects have tested the benefits of remote health monitoring, the results continue to be mixed, at best. And difficult questions persist about who wants, who needs, and who stands to benefit from remote health applications, as well as who should bear the cost. This report describes the range of technologies that can enable remote health monitoring, along with the evidence for and against their efficacy and the forces that are driving and impeding broader adoption. The analysis concludes that even if all the remaining issues are favorably settled, widespread use will require a fundamental shift in the way health care services are structured and paid for."

Why we recommend it: Sarasohn-Kahn conducted a number of interviews with an impressive stable of thinkers including the American Telemedicine Association's Jonathan Linkous, Intel Fellow Eric Dishman, MedApps' Kent Dicks and many more. The report is concise and focused on one of the most important facets of mobile health -- remote patient monitoring. Download It Here