New research by the innovation consultancy Enspektos, LLC, indicates that digital therapeutics, defined as technologies such as prescription drugs with embedded sensors are rapidly growing in scope and importance globally.
Could the “Facebook Effect” be fueling negative perceptions of digital solutions that allow drug firms, doctors and others to track whether patients are taking their medication, physical activity and other health measures?
NEW YORK, April 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- New research by the innovation consultancy Enspektos, LLC (www.enspektos.com), indicates that digital therapeutics, defined as technologies such as prescription drugs with embedded sensors (that can track whether patients are taking medication) and mobile applications that could potentially replace drugs, are rapidly growing in scope and importance globally.
Enspektos learned about the rapid rise of digital therapeutics via automated analysis of social and news data published during Q1 2018. This research also revealed how these solutions are being used and tested to aid the management of schizophrenia, ADHD, diabetes and other conditions.
However, while digital therapeutics are growing in importance, patients have concerns about whether these solutions will expose them to unwanted surveillance. According to an online survey produced in collaboration with Enspektos by Savvy Cooperative (www.savvy.coop), a patient-owned co-op focused on delivering consumer insights, more than one-third of respondents are worried these devices will be used to track their behavior in invasive ways, or that data will be sold to third-parties without their permission. Some of these perceptions of digital therapeutics could be influenced by recent revelations Facebook allowed user data to be accessed improperly.
Other insights featured in the Q1 2018 edition of digihealth impact trac, a quarterly research initiative launched by Enspektos in mid-2017, include:
- Machine-aided diagnosis is growing as artificial intelligence, wearables and data analytics combine to detect conditions like diabetes and heart disease earlier and less expensively
- End-to-end digital services are rising as health organizations aim to create comprehensive, rather than point innovations that are only optimized to manage a single health condition
About This Research
This quarterly digihealth impact trac report is based on Enspektos’ automated content analysis of more than 790,000 text-based market signals conducted using DigiHealth Informer, an analytics platform featuring the world’s largest source of real-time emerging technology market data.
Enspektos partnered with Savvy Cooperative, which conducted an online survey (from March 26-April 20, 2018) of more than 230 patients on key trends revealed by the DigiHealth Informer platform.
Click here to access the Q1 2018 edition of digihealth impact trac.
