Could Digital Therapeutics Be the Next Hot Topic in mHealth?

Have you been hearing the term digital therapeutics and don’t know where it stands within the ecosystem of digital health solutions? Well, you’ve come to the right place. As a seasoned mobile app development and digital innovation firm, 

Even though healthcare may have held the longtime reputation of being reluctant to evolve, since the COVID-19 pandemic, digital innovation within healthcare has taken off by leaps and bounds ushering in new exciting niches within the digital healthcare ecosystem such as remote therapeutics monitoring (RTM), telehealth and now digital therapeutics. 

All of this might be causing you to ask the question, ‘how does this new burgeoning area of healthcare aim to change the future of healthcare and health tech?‘   Well, as an mHealth app development firm recognized as one of the top San Diego-based app development firms, we’re confident digital therapeutics will have a tremendous impact not only within healthcare generally but also within mHealth and digital health applications. Let’s dig in!

What is Digital Therapeutics?

Digital therapeutics is an umbrella term that accounts for a family of software and devices that can be used to treat an array of diseases and disorders. According to the Digital Therapeutics Alliance, digital therapeutics 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.

It is further noted that all software and devices under the umbrella term of digital therapeutics are required to adhere to a set of foundational principles. Some of these care principles are to ensure a high degree of patient privacy, enhanced digital health security measures, HIPAA adherence and publishing trial results in peer-reviewed journals.

Forrester’s Take on Digital Therapeutics

As digital therapeutics have garnered more attention, the industry-leading advisory companies, Forrester Research has weighed in on digital therapeutics and their place in today’s ever-evolving mHealth ecosystem with a recent digital innovation report.

In the recent report, Forrester highlighted attributes of digital therapeutics for their ease of use, accessibility, and data collection capabilities. Forrester went on to note that these, and other similar burgeoning subcategories of mHealth will undoubtedly redefine how patients access health services today and far into the future. The reason for this Forrest alludes is due to the digital therapeutics approach to a patient-centered experience that limits harmful side effects. 

One of the examples Forrest notes that chronic pain patients may find benefit in digital therapeutics solutions instead of opioids that are not only addictive but pose potential long-term health repercussions. 

Growing clinical validation for digital therapeutics

Fortunately, for organizations and clinicians, digital therapeutics are providing tremendous value to the market leading to a huge opportunity for organizations in mHealth looking to gain market share early.

“Five years ago, digital therapeutics were still being tested and validated,” said Eddie Martucci, co-founder and CEO of prescription digital medicine company Akili Interactive, in an email. “People had questions about the efficacy of 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.”

Opportunity for Entering the mHealth Sector

With mHealth adoption on a tear, now is a better time ever to enter the mHealth market. As a trusted development partner for many organizations bringing their applications from idea to the app store, we’ve seen how exciting of a time this can be to bring a mHealth application to fruition.

If you’re interested in bringing a mHealth app to the market, consider working with our highly skilled team of application developers here at Dogtown Media. With over ten years of experience in the application development space, we’re confident we can be your trusted partner in bringing your mHealth application from idea to reality.