UK government launches alcohol tracking app: Public health minister Gillian Merron said: "It is all too easy to lose track of how much you drink. So as the festive parties build up, this innovative tool will help people keep tabs on their drinking - wherever they are. Sticking within the recommended limits means you reduce the risk of serious conditions such as mouth cancer and strokes." The application can be downloaded from the NHS Choices website or from the iTunes AppStore. More

APAC: $1 trillion mHealth market come 2010: The Asia Pacific region is enjoying an 80 percent growth rate in wireless health services and analysts and industry groups have valued the market at just under $1 trillion in revenues for 2010. Not surprisingly, Japan is expected to account for 50 percent of those revenues. Mobile applications include remote patient monitoring, mobile nursing, mobile medical records access, access to free mobile healthcare information and more for the region. “Asia Pacific is the prime testing ground for mobile healthcare. Asia is wired, adopts technologies faster than any other continents, and there are billions of dollars being pumped into the Asia healthcare industry to improve the current infrastructure,” Mark Lee, Medtech Practice Head  with Solidiance stated in a recent interview. More

Three times as many receive care at home: Unsure about whether people would rather be cared for at home rather than in institutions or longterm care facilities? The American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance and Homewatch CareGivers recently conducted a study that found about 7.5 million people currently receive longterm care at home. Only 1.5 million receive care in nursing homes while 1.1 million receive similar care in assisted-living facilities. More