Traditional hospital visits and certain medical procedures were back burnered during the pandemic to avoid the risk of getting infected, which made way for digital health to thrive. Now, an arm of digital health, digital therapeutics, is gaining prominence as it revolutionizes the way we treat illnesses and manage our overall well-being.
So, let’s discover the power of these innovative therapeutics and take control of your health today!
Are Digital Therapeutics the Next Big Thing in Healthcare?
Digital therapeutics (DTx) are a subset of digital health that provide therapeutic interventions to patients directly through evidence-based, clinically evaluated software for illness management. The term “digital health” refers to all platforms and technologies that offer digital solutions to improve healthcare delivery.
Telehealth, mobile health, smart gadgets, wearable devices, sensors, and other digital health technologies are the best examples of these therapeutics.
According to the Digital Therapeutics Alliance, these therapeutic solutions include modern technologies to ensure best practices in design, clinical assistance, usability, and data protection.
DTx are critical components of healthcare delivery systems. They close gaps in care by:
- Using smartphones, tablets, and other similar devices to provide therapies
- Expanding patient access to clinically safe and effective treatments
- Reducing the stigma associated with the delivery of certain traditional medication by providing convenience and privacy at home
- Increasing doctors’ ability to provide care to patient
- Offering therapies in a variety of languages, including English, Spanish, Arabic, German, and French
- Giving patients and their doctors relevant results and insights into personalized goals and outcomes
Novel Digital Therapeutics Trends Changing the Face of Healthcare
DTx has emerged as a powerful new approach to healthcare. By leveraging cutting-edge technology and data-driven solutions, digital therapies offer personalized, effective treatment options that are tailored to each individual’s unique needs.
Here are the top 4 trends that are shaping this industry:
1. Convenient Medication with mHealth
Mobile digital therapeutics provide personalized DTx interventions that monitor, comprehend, and coach people in their daily lives. Traditional health and wellness apps can help with a variety of illnesses, although digital treatments are more sophisticated, go through several clinical trials, and have scientifically proven results.
PEAR Therapeutics became the first company to get FDA approval for a mobile digital therapy that significantly enhanced clinical results in opioid use disorder treatments. PEAR medicines’ prescription digital medicines use mobile applications as an adjuvant to outpatient treatments for ailments such as mental and neurological diseases.
Many other mobile DTx applications enable patients to get therapy while also managing their health-related behaviors such as physical activity, food intake, and substance use.
One such platform is Clickotine that helps smokers quit by providing a customized strategy and scientifically-based ways to fight cravings, as well as social support and direct access to quit aids. With people taking more responsibility for their own health than ever before, these platforms can provide a genuinely comprehensive and personalized approach to better health outcomes.
2. Personalized Care by Artificial Intelligence
AI is important in driving personalization and enhancing engagement with software treatments. AI-enabled therapeutics provide diagnostics and genuinely personalized care by not only customizing the medication but also predicting requirements and obstacles based on the individual’s profile.
AI alerts and notifications can boost drug adherence and predict when a user may require further assistance or encouragement. In the case of Clickotine, the software recognizes that a user may experience a craving after purchasing a cup of coffee and sends a message of encouragement to remind them to stay strong.
Cognetivity Neurosciences, a medical technology business, recently got FDA approval for its AI platform for early diagnosis of cognitive impairment, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Since the discovery of amnesia and dementia over a century ago, diagnostic methods have not evolved, and AI can be extremely precise, working in a cost-effective and at a considerably faster pace than the existing options, which are mostly paper-based surveys.
3. Remote Healthcare with Wearables
Wearables can help people become more engaged with their health. Many well-known wearables include fitness and general wellness tracking devices developed by tech leaders, such as the Fitbit, Amazon’s Halo band, and Apple Watch, which can monitor blood oxygen levels and has an ECG sensor.
Garmin also made Vivosport that measures VO2 max and heart rate. The Oura ring is another such device used for monitoring sleep and vital signs and was popularized by NBA players during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Manufacturers are working on making wearable devices smaller and easier to integrate into clothing, which is adding to their popularity. Additionally, new growth opportunities are available, such as the option of implanting the devices, which is possible for pacemakers and blood-sugar monitors, as well as remote health monitoring.
Phillips created a self-adhesive wearable biosensor patch for patients to monitor mobility, heart and respiratory rate, and temperature, resulting in 89% fewer patients falling prone to preventable conditions like cardiac arrest, demonstrating the true significance of this technology.
Omron Healthcare created the HeartGuide wearable blood pressure monitor watch. While wearables provide sensors for health monitoring, many other digital health technologies are influencing healthcare in many ways.
4. Virtual Reality For Improving Mental Health
With significant advancements in hardware performance and ergonomics, virtual reality should serve as a bridge between the therapy room and the real world. Virtual reality has the potential to bring healthcare to the people while also lowering expenses, all while providing data-based interventions that are quantifiable and effective.
The FDA authorized the first VR digital therapy, EaseVRx, in November 2021. When compared to mobile and real-world solutions, this medium can boost treatment adherence by providing virtual care in incredible hyper-realistic locales and gamifying sessions.
Rocket VR Health, a digital health startup, is working on a DTx solution for stem cell patients who have been isolated in their hospital rooms for a month or longer. We can move patients out of their hospital rooms and into natural settings using virtual reality, where they can follow a validated therapy framework that has been digitized. This enables hospitals to deploy their successful mental health therapies without adding more personnel.
In a Nutshell
DTx is the future of healthcare, and the possibilities for personalized, effective treatment are endless. From managing chronic illnesses to tackling mental health challenges, technology is transforming the way we approach healthcare. Say goodbye to the limitations of traditional medicine and embrace the power of digital therapeutics today to take control of your health – the possibilities are truly limitless!