Digital Therapeutics (DTx) are software-enabled preventative healthcare solutions that create an immersive experience to monitor physical and mental medical conditions from personally connected devices. DTx is considered digital medicine, where the digital methods used to help patients must produce positive clinical outcomes that medical evaluations and standards support.
AI/ML and natural language processing (NLP) power DTx to manage behavioral, psychological, and medical treatment programs at home for better health outcomes. Patient's using DTx programs receive advanced personalized care with routine clinical observations from healthcare teams that access medical data from digital tools like phone apps, wearable and non-wearable medical devices, and smartwatches.
To receive timely diagnostics, providers can track real-time updates on health conditions and use chat applications to provide medical feedback and offer health-management tips for better clinical outcomes. Providers can observe psychological and physiological data that affect the patient's condition and use the insights to optimize treatment programs.
The tools and methods used in DTx are prescribed by healthcare experts using clinical standards and are evaluated with regulatory procedures to ensure patient safety when using new healthcare technologies. DTx services are set up for secure communication and allow patients to engage in private and convenient therapies.
How Does Digital Therapeutics (DTx) Work?
Patients gain control over their healthcare with the help of software applications that use virtual reality and the Internet of Things. DTx used these tools to customize care plans to the patient's exact needs, helping build self-management techniques that can lead to positive health outcomes.
DTx helps a range of healthcare issues that require consistent monitoring – obesity, ADHD, depression, eating disorders, type 2 diabetes, and various medical conditions like heart failure – and can be used in addition to in-office physician care. Remotely deployed cognitive therapy techniques help patients make lifestyle changes to alter behaviors that lead to poor diet and drug usage, creating mental health solutions that are personal, interactive, and timely.
DTx mobile apps can:
- Use gamification and simulations to train the thinking patterns and behavioral outcomes of patients with psychosis and/or addictions.
- Monitor wearables and message patients on their health status to avoid medical emergencies
- Communicate with medical equipment to track symptoms for real-time care treatment
DTx can help with psychological disorders by:
- Providing avatar solutions that use virtual reality which mimic social settings to reduce patterns of anxiety
- Virtual counselors and chatbots to help monitor mental health
DTx can help neurological disorders with:
- Online platforms that use digital rehabilitation programs and neurological music therapy to improve cognitive functions
- iPad applications to improve reading, writing, and calculation abilities
Digital Therapeutics (DTx) can provide the following benefits:
- Customized Healthcare –Patients receive tailored medical care with technology-based tools that track health data, allowing providers to determine best practices uniquely designed to focus on preventing, treating, and changing adverse health outcomes.
- Advanced Health Monitoring – Providers can directly communicate with patients after analyzing medical data and determining how to enhance care management plans. Insights from connected apps and devices allow care teams to customize health routines, make timely medical assessments, and remotely manage chronic illnesses.
- Democratization of Healthcare – Patients have on-demand access to specialized care without worrying about wait times and transportation. Effective therapies become accessible with smartphones and wearable devices that bring healthcare services to patients' comfort.
- Promotes Self-Care – Digital platforms and smartphone apps provide awareness and guidance, helping patients stay on-task with medication usage, diet control, and behavioral modifications that improve health conditions. Team members train patients to use apps or medical devices to proactively treat, prevent, and manage diseases and/or mental health.