Liz Ashall-Payne, Founding CEO

ORCHA’s research expertise

ORCHA is the world’s leading reviewer of digital health products – but our in-house experts also monitor industry trends and commission their own research:

• Our data analysts regularly gauge trends in health app usage by health and care professionals and citizens.
• Our team of public health researchers, led by Dr Simon Leigh, routinely undertake peer-reviewed academic research – both independently and in partnership with academics worldwide – into the clinical and economic performance of digital health products.

The facts below may be useful background, but if there’s something you want to know and it isn’t listed, just ask us.

All our new research is also published on our news feed.

The digital health market

• There are currently 311,000 health apps available worldwide. 261,500 are available in the US and 227,500 in the UK (September 2022)
• The global digital health market will be worth £320bn by 2024 and the UK market is expected to be worth £23.98bn by 2025. Global Market Insights
• 85% of all apps downloaded have less than 5,000 downloads in total.
• Only 84 individual apps have been downloaded more than 10m times.

How consumers are using apps

• We annually commission an independent consumer survey. Our 2022 research found that:
  • Eighty-three per cent of people surveyed who have used a health app found it actively helped to improve their health and wellbeing.
  • Fifty-five per cent had had an app recommended by a health or care professional and the most active recommenders had been GPs and pharmacists (in 11% and 10% of cases respectively).
  • Those aged from 18 to 44 would choose digital health to support a mental health condition over and above prescription medication, such as an antidepressant.

How healthcare professionals are using apps

• Our research team monitored the number of searches for health apps by healthcare professionals during the pandemic (https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/10/e053891)
  • Searches for digital health products increased by 343% following the first lockdown.
  • Searches for MSK and physiotherapy products increased by 2036% and those for allergy and fitness/diet increased by 1253% and 1051% respectively.
  • 92% of medical condition areas saw an increase in searches.

Facts about ORCHA

• ORCHA works in 12 countries (US, Canada, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, New Zealand, Australia, UK, Ireland and Israel) across 4 continents (Europe, Asia, North America and Australia)
• ORCHA supplies digital health libraries in 70% of NHS regions.
• We have conducted 20,042 assessments of digital health products (September 22), more than anyone else in the world.
• 75% of health apps fail to pass our review process. This means they cannot be included on our digital health libraries.

Call or text Kate McCann on +44 (0)7528 796400 or email kate.mccann@orchahealth.com

In 2021 Ingeus, the company which delivers the National Diabetes Prevention Programme on behalf of the NHS, began using Lancashire and South Cumbria Health and Care Partnership’s ORCHA Health App Library. The educators for the programme recognised that health apps could play a key role in supporting people with managing their weight, nutrition and exercise in a way that could help reduce their risk of diabetes. By building the recommendation of health apps into their care pathway, they were able to augment the support they gave to patients. They felt this gave participants positive reinforcement whilst helping professionals stay better informed about patient progress.

The service tested its usage of health apps with participants and found that:

• 90% of respondents downloaded all or some of the apps recommended to them
• 88% used the apps that were recommended to them
• 90% found the apps useful
• 67% believe that apps supported their weight loss efforts
• 80% felt the app helped them meet their personal health goals
• 84% felt the app helped them become more active
• 86% felt the app supported them to make healthier lifestyle choice.

Commenting on the work, Linda Vernon, Acting Digital Culture and Transformation Clinical Lead, Lancashire and South Cumbria Health and Care Partnership, said: “Using apps is a really easy way to support our citizens. ORCHA is a big part of our digital health literacy work, enabling people to have access to safe and reliable apps and digital technologies that do what it says on the tin.”

One of its participants, Susan, said: “I wouldn’t have thought to download a health app, but I put my weight loss and healthier lifestyle down to my health app.”