Key takeaways:
Digital health is a broad term that covers many technologies that use new devices or internet connections to share information between people and their healthcare providers.
Digital health tools can be as simple as an app on a smartphone or a smartwatch that you wear to monitor your activity.
Digital health can also be classified as digital medicines or digital therapeutics based on the product’s medical claims and clinical evidence to support their use.
Technology has played a significant role in society over the past few decades — with widespread access to the internet, mobile devices, smart TVs, and more. In many ways, smartphones and related devices have changed how we go about our daily lives, interact with each other, and take care of our health.
Mobile apps, smart sensors, and other new technologies have paved the way for using technology to change healthcare. More and more, people are calling this digital health. But what does this term mean? And what role might it play in healthcare?
Here, we’ll provide an overview of what digital health is and give some examples of digital health products.
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What is digital health?
Digital health is a relatively new term coined in the 2010s that has grown more common. It’s an umbrella term that covers many types of technology used in the healthcare community. It includes items like health apps, wearable devices, and electronic health records.
There are many benefits of digital health, such as:
Improving communication with your healthcare provider
Sharing health data (e.g., blood pressure, blood sugar, temperature) with your healthcare provider from home instead of waiting for an appointment
Helping healthcare providers better customize treatments and healthcare decisions
Making healthcare providers and services more accessible for people
Lowering healthcare costs
The COVID-19 pandemic led people to use telehealth services to see their healthcare providers. For many, this was their introduction to the role that technology can play in their care. But telehealth is only one aspect of digital health.
Examples of digital health
Digital health includes technology that you may already use, such as:
Telehealth platforms
Exercise and diet apps
Medication adherence apps
Meditation and mindfulness apps
Fitness trackers that measure how far you walk or how well you sleep
Smartwatches that track health vitals (e.g., heart rate, blood pressure)
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What is digital medicine?
Since digital health is a broad term, there are groups within digital health that have more scientific data for what they can do. Digital medicine is one such group. It deals with technology that can measure or intervene in health conditions and has evidence to support it.
Digital medicine uses technology to help make the care you receive better by collecting more health data than was previously available. Many digital medicines provide personalized information to either healthcare providers or consumers. This information can then be used to guide treatment decisions or potentially suggest medication dose changes.
One of the biggest concerns with digital health is whether the technology can actually do what it claims. For instance, if you came across an app or device that could tell you if you had atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm) or depression, would you trust it?
So it’s important to know which digital health products are accurate. A digital medicine product has evidence that backs up its claims. The evidence lets healthcare providers know what to expect from the product and how to best use it to treat a health condition.
Examples of digital medicine
Many digital medicines are available or being researched for use in healthcare, with examples like:
Wearable sensors that track your blood sugar, such as continuous glucose monitors (CGMs)
Smart insulin pens that can track how much insulin you are using
Pills that have built-in cameras that can be used instead of a colonoscopy (colon cancer screening)
Artificial intelligence (AI) that can check for possible signs of cancer during a colonoscopy
Sensors — like a smartwatch — that can let you know if your heart rhythm is normal
Smart medications that can let a healthcare provider know when you use them
What are digital therapeutics?
Going even further, there is another category within digital medicine called digital therapeutics (often shortened to DTx). DTx have some of the highest levels of data supporting medical claims for digital health.
Essentially, DTx is software that can treat, manage, or prevent a health condition. DTx can be used by themselves, paired with medication, or combined with a medical device. DTx focus on making interventions (treatment decisions).
DTx don’t replace healthcare providers. But they can help a provider make personalized healthcare decisions more often. For example, people would still see their providers for regular appointments. But DTx might adjust their treatments or medication doses between visits.
These DTx products may be something that you can buy on your own — like an over-the-counter (OTC) product — or that your healthcare provider prescribes to you. Prescribed digital therapeutics (PDTs) would be similar to a medication that you take. But instead of going to the pharmacy for refills on medications, it may be an app or device that you use and your provider can remotely monitor to see if it is helping you.
Examples of digital therapeutics
DTx are still relatively new and undergoing clinical testing. But several are on the market, including:
An app that can help people with Type 1 or 2 diabetes manage their condition and help guide insulin dosing
An app that uses AI to help people with depression overcome negative thoughts and behavior over a 12-week treatment period with one to two 30-minute sessions a week
A app that helps with muscle pain by using your smartphone’s camera to help guide you through physical therapy and provide feedback on your progress
Comparing digital health, digital medicine, and digital therapeutics
Remembering these three terms can be tricky. It’s important to keep in mind that digital medicine builds upon digital health’s functions. Likewise, DTx builds upon digital medicine’s capabilities. The table below explains each at a glance.
| Digital health | Digital medicine | Digital therapeutics |
|---|---|---|
| Tracks health information | Tracks health information AND Collects or measures health data that can be used to manage a health condition |
Tracks health information AND Collects or measures health data AND Makes treatment changes based on health information |
| Very broad term; covers many technologies used for health purposes | More specific term; must have clinical evidence it works | Most specific term; can help treat health conditions or adjust treatments |
Does the FDA regulate digital health?
Since digital health is so broad, many regulatory organizations may be involved, including the FDA. The FDA generally does not regulate many wellness apps and devices on the market. But it will become involved if a product or app makes a medical claim about their technology.
For instance, if an app says it can help you manage your sleep by tracking your sleeping habits, the FDA may not look into it. In comparison, if an app claims it can diagnose or treat insomnia, then the FDA would want to review the evidence to support that claim.
The 2020s will likely see the FDA consider what kind of studies or data will be needed for new technologies being developed. It’s possible they may become stricter in certain cases over time or give more broad guidance.
The bottom line
Digital health is becoming an essential part of how healthcare is delivered. We’ve seen a recent growth in digital health, digital medicine, and digital therapeutics to help address healthcare needs during the pandemic. However, it’s likely that even after the pandemic, we can expect further research and evidence to support these new technologies. Digital health is here to stay and will help support people throughout their unique healthcare journeys.
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References
Digital Medicine Society. (n.d.). Defining digital medicine.
Digital Therapeutics Alliance. (n.d.). Understanding DTx.
Digital Therapeutics Alliance. (n.d.). Understanding DTx / Product library.
HealthXL. (2021). HealthXL - Exit & Outcomes PDT report.
Medtronic. (n.d.). Pillcam™ SB 2 system.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2019). General wellness: Policy for low risk devices: Guidance for industry and Food and Drug Administration staff.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2020). What is digital health?
