A dvent of new technology continues to change the medical treatment paradigms. Digital therapeutics (DTx) is an emerging technology which utilizes digital solutions to prevent, manage or treat a disease or a medical disorder. Their existence as apps in smartphone, tabs, and computers can assist and coordinate a patient’s lifestyle and behavior. The primary aim of digital therapeutics is to enhance existing treatment with the aid of high quality, safe, and effective data-driven interventions, thereby reducing the cost of patient care.

Digital therapeutics has already been implemented in treating and managing various chronic diseases like type II diabetes, obesity, and depression. This blog is a deep dive into the need for Digital therapeutics and its progress in healthcare.

Digital therapeutics are evidence-based behavioral treatments delivered online that can increase accessibility and effectiveness of health care."

- Dr. Cameron Sepah

The Impact of Digitization on Patient Experience

Digital therapeutics includes a wide range of products namely mobile apps, wearable devices, and telemedicine platforms. A study by American Medical Association on the utilization of digital tools reported that 85% of the patients had reported benefits by using them.

They also found that physicians are having a positive approach towards digital health innovation since these advancements could improve practice efficiency and patient safety. Digital tools make the patient feel more connected with their clinicians which makes evidence-based intervention possible.

When it comes to behavioral treatments, patients must be ready to take charge of their own care by actively adhering or passively complying with the tools.

Behavioral Treatments

• Active Adhering This is achieved by probing the patient to interact with the app by asking them to fill their personal and health details.
• Passive Complying In this category, patient - digital tool interaction is not established. They can automatically monitor and record the required data points by using implanted sensors.

Categories of Digital Therapeutics

Digital therapeutics has developed a great expectation in the healthcare industry, with some sources disclosing them as the “Next Seminal Advancement” in healthcare. With the potential to induce lifestyle changes, enhance medical treatments, and reduce healthcare costs, digital therapeutics have a lot to offer to consumers, providers, and payers. They are classified into three categories.

• 01. Behavior Management: Products like wearable devices can track the behavioral changes of patients and assist them in improved clinical outcomes. The best example is the Omada Health’s digital behavior coaching platform that helps patients to reduce their risk of diabetes and other chronic diseases by providing guidance advice on nutrition and daily activity changes.
• 02. Chronic Condition Management: This is achieved by the usage of products that help manage, monitor and prevent unnecessary events to patients by sending them text message and reminders especially to patients who are chronically ill. “Fitbit Plus” is an innovative, wearable and self-tracking device that helps in improving wellness, disease management, and prevention of chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertension.
• 03. Medication Adherence: Medication adherence is one of the major problems for patients and health care providers. Digital tools help patients with medication management, drug adherence, and prescription management. Example includes Proteus Digital Health’s Discover medication adherence platform which has tiny ingestible sensor that is incorporated into a traditional pharmaceutical, or a small wearable sensor patches placed on patient body which assist in improving therapeutic outcomes.

Benefits of Digital Therapeutics

Digital therapeutics, known as “software-drugs” provides many useful benefits to patients like,

• 01. Delivering reliable, evidenced-based interventions to the patients and caregivers.
• 02. Enabling high quality data-driven care management and clinical decision making
• 03. Decreased economic burden of medical conditions by reducing overall costs.

The Future of Digital Therapeutics

The growth of the digital therapeutic is accelerated by the increase in chronic diseases and its management. All digital tools are launched only after a thorough understanding and evaluation based on a large number of clinical data and interventions which makes them successful.

In future patients can expect digital therapeutics to provide useful outcomes such as: