#43: 📲 Digital Therapeutics: A New Branch of Medicine
#43: 📲 Digital Therapeutics: A New Branch of Medicine
Software as a drug to prevent, treat and cure chronic diseases
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Nina here. Each week I address topics on longevity, psychedelics and innovation suggested by you.
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📲 Digital Therapeutics: A New Branch of Medicine
📚 Master of the Game
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📲 Digital Therapeutics, a new branch of medicine
Digital technologies have disrupted various industries and healthcare is no exception.
Digital therapeutics (DTx) utilize digital and online technologies to treat a variety of medical and psychological conditions. Rather than just taking a pill, DTx treats conditions by using “software as a drug.”
These cutting-edge tools offer an interactive approach to treat diseases. They leverage patient input data, process it through sophisticated algorithms and digital interactivity to provide personalized healthcare solutions.
DTx are the first therapeutics that engage patients directly with their own health management through mobile apps, web-based platforms, virtual reality or immersive gaming. Because of this, DTx can play a big role in the prevention, treatment and recovery of chronic diseases.
Chronic diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and chronic respiratory diseases, are predicted to contribute to 85% of deaths globally by 2030. Most chronic diseases however can improve through behavior change.
But…
behavior change is hard.
To make it easier, digital therapeutics can monitor and record changes in behavior in order to help patients stay on track and can improve patient adherence.
Everyone likes to see their progress.
Most people stop going to the gym because they don’t see an immediate improvement, but in reality they are getting better. Noticeable changes take time.
Digital therapeutics have the potential to quantify even the smallest changes which can show people that they are improving even if they can’t see the physical results yet.
What are digital therapeutics being used for?
Digital therapeutics are being used to prevent, manage and treat a wide variety of health conditions, such as:
Chronic disease management - digital therapeutics like the Livongo app and connected medical devices provides a comprehensive care program for chronic diseases utilizing personalized feedback and coaching
Mental health - Apps like Talkspace provide digital therapy sessions with licensed therapists
Birth Control - Natural Cycles is the first FDA approved birth control app
Neurological Disorders - Akili Interactive’s EndeavourOCT is a video game-based digital therapeutic that helps treat attention function in children with ADHD and is available on the Apple App store
Sleep Disorders - Sleepio is an app that offers cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, helping users improve their sleep patterns
Pain Management - RelieVRx is the first FDA-approved virtual reality at-home treatment to significantly improve chronic lower back pain
Obesity and Weight Management - the Noom app uses personalized plans and coaching to help users lose weight and develop healthier habits
What are the advantages of digital therapeutics?
Increased Accessibility: Since the therapeutics are delivered digitally, they can be deployed on smartphones. Over 5 billion people have smartphones so we have never been more connected as a society. Thus digital therapeutics can be deployed globally, breaking down the often geographical and logistical barriers to healthcare.
Personalized treatment: By leveraging data gathering and AI, these tools offer personalized treatment plans to individuals
Improved Patient Engagement & Adherence: By tracking improvements, and the patient’s visibility to them, it is easier for patients to stick to their therapeutics regimen.
Cost-Effectiveness: By reducing the need for in-person appointments and hospital visits, digital therapeutics can save both the healthcare provider and patient money and time.
Continuous Data Collection: A persistent and real-time data collection provides a window into a patient’s health status, which can enable early intervention of potential health issues. This robust tracking of a treatment helps a doctor to evaluate the effectiveness of a treatment plan. This allows for quicker modifications and more personalization of a treatment plan rather than making changes only when a patient follows up with their doctor every few months.
Who are the market leaders in digital therapeutics?
Kaia Health, the world’s largest digital therapeutics company with more than 650,000 users of its musculoskeletal (MSK) platform. MSK conditions affect 1 in 2 adults in the U.S, yet only 10% of these people will see a physical therapist. Even those that do seek in-person physical therapy often struggle when they get home to adhere to their treatment plan and do the exercises correctly. Kaia Health provides real-time support and guidance to assist patients with at-home physical therapy.
Kaia Health also has a product in development for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
MindMaze is building a platform for brain health and recovery. They offer several digital therapeutics. Their product MindPod Dolphin, promotes the recovery of motor skills and cognitive function in people with neurological injuries and diseases.
Specifically designed for the recovery of upper-limb movement after a stroke, MindPod Dolphin is a highly engaging animated gaming experience. It comes with an anti-gravity vest that lightens the arm to allow for the training of fine-motor control of the upper-limb by encouraging continuous exploration of its immersive oceanic environment.
MindMotionⓇ GO is a game-based digital therapy to promote the kind of movement a patient would practice with a physiotherapist, and the system can be customized to a patient’s individual needs and progress. It offers a full-body capture through optical marketless technology and gives real-time feedback on the quality of movement with a hardware peripheral to train hand dexterity.
Insulia© is a prescription-only app that recommends insulin doses for adults with type 2 diabetes based on the treatment plan created by their healthcare provider. Incorrect administration of insulin (i.e. too little, too much or at the wrong time) can result in serious hypo- and hyperglycemia. Errors in the self-administration of insulin are common in adults with diabetes. With Insulia© patients can get the right dose of insulin multiple times every day.
As the healthcare landscape becomes increasingly digitized, digital therapeutics are set to play an integral role by providing more accessible, personalized, and effective treatment options. With technology advancing at a rapid pace, it’s a sector of digital health that promises significant growth and transformative potential in the years to come.
📚 Book of the Week
Master of the Game by Sidney Sheldon
5 / 5 Stars
So good. I couldn’t put it down. I was immediately pulled in when the story started during the diamond rush in South Africa in the 1880s.
Kate Blackwell’s grandfather boldly goes on an expedition to strike it rich and risks his life for fortune and revenge. Now Kate Blackwell is prepping her heir to run the conglomerate she built from her grandfather’s success. Manipulation, domination and love run through this family as they position themselves for inheritance.
Book 1 of 2 in “The Game Series”
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