Table Of Content
What is Digital Therapeutics?
In our daily routine, when we become ill, doctors usually prescribe pills, injections, and other consumable medications to help us recover quickly. The concept of Digital Therapeutics suggests treating health problems digitally including mental health, diabetes, and overcoming stress, which may sound unreal but with the rapid advancement of technology, it is becoming a reality. Proper therapy can cure some health conditions.
A highly qualified team of doctors, specialists, Software Engineers, Researchers, product managers, and Regulatory and Compliance Experts work closely together to create Digital therapeutics or Software as Medical Device (SaMD).
How does Digital Therapeutics work?
Just like any other application on mobile, several applications and digital programs can provide effective digital therapeutics directly to patients.
Patients use these applications based on the specific condition they are experiencing. Each application is designed differently depending on the specific condition, just like different Doctors treat different health issues as per their expertise.
Following are the steps about how digital therapeutics work:
- Setup
- Therapeutic Activities
- Tracking of Data
- Feedback
- Healthcare Team alliance
- Tracking goals
Explanation of each step is as follows:
1. Setup
Patients experiencing specific condition should use applications modify to their condition. For example, a person with diabetes can enter their blood sugar levels and details of exercise using an application that is for diabetes specific application. However individuals those are dealing with anxiety issues should complete an assessment to receive personalized treatment results, as symptoms vary person to person.
2. Therapeutic Activities
After having the application and completing the details on it which patient is experiencing, the result in the form of treatment will be shown with the activities to perform. Furthermore there could be some educational content, reminders and videos as well related to the condition patient is having. That’s why providing correct information is necessary to get the accurate results.
3. Tracking of Data
Tracking of data is an essential step of (DTx), it tracks the data based on information user had provided. Patients who religiously use the application and daily update their data maintain a pattern that helps in providing authentic treatment or techniques based on their health condition. It also allow doctors to track daily records of improvements. Furthermore, humans are naturally prepared to use things that give them positive results, which motivates patients to use the application when they find effective treatments or sessions.
4. Feedback
If a person is struggling to follow a specific treatment due to physical health or any other matter, such software are developed in a way that there are no break to the treatment and that the patient can follow it in a more easy and simple way, application modifies the results correctly.
5. Healthcare Team Alliance
Digital therapeutics allows healthcare teams to monitor patients’s health remotely without making them come to the hospital daily. By this, doctors can observe patients’ health improvements and regular behaviors.
6. Tracking Goals
DTx-based applications allow patients or any user to set the goal, such as a person can set the goal for managing cravings or overcoming anxiety for any number of times, so it makes the person motivated to fight with the condition they are having; it can be shown in the form of a percentage, loader, or could be an interesting unlocking level thing.
What are the Digital therapeutics Software Application examples?
Some of the Digital Therapeutics Software applications are:
- FlitterFly: This Software runs digital Therapeutic programs for diabetes patients and is approved by doctors.
- BlueStar: This application is for Type 1 and 2 diabetes patients.
- Sleepio: Clinically approved digital sleep program for insomnia patients, this application provides active support to those suffering from sleep disorders.
- Propeller: This application monitors patients with Asthma and COPD, attaching it to the prescription and tracking how the patient takes the medicine, when they take it, and whether they have taken it or not.
Difference between Digital Therapeutics & Prescription Digital Therapeutics
| Digital Therapeutics | Prescription Digital Therapeutics | |
| 1 | Without any prescription, patients can take the specific treatment from an application. | Prescription Digital Therapeutics requires proper approval from healthcare professionals. |
| 2 | Some digital therapeutic software does not require approval from regulatory authorities, not strict in that regard. | It is a must for prescription digital therapeutics software applications to have approval from FDA. |
| 3 | Not all Dtx requires clinical proceedings, some applications rarely undergoes it. | It goes from strict, proper and attentive clinical trials. |
| 4 | There are numerous Dtx software applications that are used to treat different health conditions, from anxiety to diabetes to chronic health and many more. | These applications are made in the coexistence of mainstream medical therapies. |
| 5 | These applications are not costly and available on the Google Play Store and Apple Store for iOS users. | prescribed digital therapy are very costly. |
Prescription Digital Therapeutics
FACT TO KNOW
Do you know what is FDA?
| The FDA (Food and Drug Management Authority) is the regulatory authority that is responsible for approving such products that are vulnerable to users, may it be security of human health and such technological devices designed for patients. |
Pros And Cons of DTx
| PROS OF DIGITAL THERAPUETICS | CONS OF DIGITAL THERAPUETICS |
| DTx-based applications are available 24 hours a day, even in remote areas. | DTx-boxed applications require good internet access all the time. |
| Treatments are customisable according to the user data for better flexible treatment. | Lack of face-to-face interaction with the healthcare professionals, as patients feel more confident in having a word with their doctor. |
| Real-time results, which makes it easier for healthcare professionals to monitor patient’s health. | Sometimes patients don’t feel comfortable providing their online information online because of data security concerns. |
| These applications are free as well as some are less cost, which makes more users use these applications. | There is a limitation in terms of treatments, as they are used to complement other treatments for which a patient needs to visit the doctor. |
| Gamifications and other features make these applications to be used actively, which motivates the patients. | Loyalty to DTx can be challenging in a way, as most of the time they rarely undergo the process of clinical trials. |
Also Read: How to order from TEMU in Pakistan? (Easy Method)
Conclusion
Although DTx is a good way to keep track of health, solely relying on it is dangerous; going to the doctor first is more reliable for the worst conditions. These applications provide the right ways and guidance to the problem for the patients who are facing health conditions. Anxiety therapies are good to get from applications as it provide home-based sessions and techniques to overcome them. Also, digital therapeutics are not at all a “Myth” and it is an advancement in the world of technology. People suffering from insomnia with medications as well, and using the application can be treated properly.
However, you must provide the right systems you are having so you can get the most accurate results. DTx doesn’t mean that you don’t visit the doctor.
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