Over the past decade, a new category of medicine has emerged that delivers evidence-backed treatment through software to combat various conditions, including diabetes, pain, and PTSD.
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– The digital transformation of healthcare is underway, bringing with it large-scale changes in various aspects of the healthcare journey, from scheduling visits to care delivery to bill payments.
As healthcare processes become increasingly digital, so have the clinical treatments for various diseases. The digital transformation journey has resulted in the broader acceptance of a new category of medical interventions driven by software programs called digital therapeutics.
WHAT ARE DIGITAL THERAPEUTICS?
Digital therapeutics are evidence-based, clinically evaluated software and devices that can be used to treat an array of diseases and disorders, according to the Digital Therapeutics Alliance, the industry’s trade association. They can be used independently or with medications, devices, and other therapies to treat physical and behavioral health conditions, including pain, diabetes, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and asthma.
According to the alliance, all software and devices that claim to be digital therapeutics must adhere to certain foundational principles, including incorporating patient privacy and security protections, publishing trial results in peer-reviewed journals, and receiving clearance or certification by regulatory bodies.
As the digital therapeutics industry has grown over the last decade, the companies developing these products have made a concerted effort to bolster clinical evidence backing their use.
“Five years ago, digital therapeutics were still being tested and validated,” Eddie Martucci, co-founder, and CEO of prescription digital medicine company Akili Interactive, previously told mHealthIntelligence. “People had questions about the efficacy of DTx [digital therapeutics], and for many, digital therapeutics felt like science fiction. We’ve pushed hard for clinical validation in this industry, and in the last five years, we’ve seen a significant amount of clinical validation for DTx, including compelling real-world data showing how these new approaches can help improve patients’ lives.”
According to the Digital Therapeutics Alliance, there are three main product categories for digital therapeutics: products to treat a disease, manage a condition, and improve a health function.
Products in all three of these categories must “deliver a therapeutic intervention and use clinical endpoints to support product claims,” the alliance states.
One key use case for digital therapeutics is chronic pain. Kaia Health offers a musculoskeletal digital therapeutic that focuses on pain relief. The MSK solution guides patients through physical therapy using an algorithm to evaluate performance and adapt exercises to patient needs. It also connects users to coaches and medical providers when necessary.
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