Digital health technologies have been around for a while and are often described in exaggerated ways that envision a complete overhaul of healthcare delivery through the implementation of AI, machine learning, and virtual reality. However, this transformation has yet to be fully realized.
Awareness of digital health tools is very high. Thousands of apps exist to track, measure, and quantify performance, diet, and other health & wellness specifications. But usage of these digital tools remains low, particularly when it comes to functions relating to diagnosing or managing health conditions.
A new type of clinically proven therapeutic interventions may be about to change that.
Digital therapeutics (DTx) is a new set of interventional tools that can help manage and treat disease, directly addressing patient needs. By combining evidence-based software applications with data analytics and AI, DTx provides patients with an individualized healthcare experience focused on the management of their entire patient journey. These solutions empower patients to take control over their health by providing tools for remote monitoring, self-management and personalized coaching. As a needs-based therapy, DTx enables more effective, cost-efficient care that is tailored to the individual needs of each patient.
Overview of DTx expectations and adoption
Doctors are keen on digital therapeutics and expect them to make a positive impact on patient treatment and management. According to a Bryter survey of US and Europe-based physicians (PCPs and cardiorenal specialists in nephrology, diabetes, cardiology, and hematology), 73% believe that DTx can provide data that will help physicians better manage their patients, 67% say it can allow patients to better manage their conditions, 64% say DTx can increase patient treatment adherence, and 63% say it can improve patient outcomes.
Digital therapeutics have specifically been gaining traction in certain specialties, like mental health. Another Bryter survey revealed that almost four-in-10 US psychiatrists have already recommended DTx to their adult mental disorder patients.
But like with every other new concept, how easy is it to gauge customer interest and address barriers to adoption?
At Bryter, we evaluated two existing DTx products with US consumers using our IMPACTS framework and came up with interesting answers.
Concept testing with IMPACTS
When testing the viability of a concept, understanding consumer appeal and claimed propensity to purchase is not enough. Consumers don’t make purchase decisions based on appeal alone, they are also strongly influenced by how products and services are presented to them. To understand the full potential of a concept, we need to examine the factors around concept presentation in more detail.
Bryter’s IMPACTS framework leverages behavioral science principles to understand the levers that influence consumer behavior when presented with a new concept. There are 7 distinct contributing factors that IMPACTS examines:
Information: Is there enough information about the product?
Messenger: Is this product credible enough to be prescribed by a doctor?
People Like Me: Do consumers find this product relevant to them?
Appealing: Does this product impact on the overall appeal of DTx?
Clarity: Is the purpose of this product easy to understand?
Trust: Does this product foster trust in DTx?
Salient: Is the product distinctive enough?
DTx product testing
Bryter tested two DTx products relating to mental health among 1,082 US consumers: Somryst, for people with insomnia, and Daylight, for people with generalized anxiety. The products were tested as “Product H” and “Product L”, without revealing the brand names.
Somryst is the first prescription digital therapeutic for treating insomnia. The program consists of three parts – relaxation therapies, education about healthy sleep habits and cognitive tools for managing stressors. Somryst also allows users to track their progress over the course of the program, so they can monitor their improvement as well as any setbacks or regressions.
Daylight is a digital therapeutic intended for the improvement of worry and anxiety and the management of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), as an adjunct patients’ usual medical care. The program guides users on ways to address reducing tension, reframing anxious thoughts, and developing helpful behaviors.
In our survey, consumers reviewed the two products through the lens of IMPACTS and indicated product impact on perceptions and usage. Using this process, we were able to identify product areas that are already successful (and must be maintained) and those that need further development. Following the exercise, each product was also assigned an IMPACTS score – an overall score that indicates potential and allows for comparison between the products.
Both Somryst and Daylight scored lower in the Information contributing factor – indicating that consumers wanted to know more. This makes sense, as DTx is still a relatively new area in digital health and requires patients (as well as physicians) to be educated on the concept overall. Even so, when comparing the two products directly, more consumers who reviewed Somryst said “the product description tells me everything that I need to know about the product” – 27%, compared to 21% for Daylight. Certainly, the Somryst image we showed to respondents was more detailed than Daylight when it came to providing information about the duration of the program (“a 12-week cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) plan”) while Daylight made no such reference.
Trust was another contributing factor where Somryst scored higher – 40% of those who reviewed it said, “I trust that product will be effective”, compared to 34% for Daylight. Here, the answer may lie with the manufacturer of each product. The Somryst description mentions specifically that the developer had their first DTx product approved in 2012. The Daylight description is more vague. A developer with a longer, more established tenure in the field may well inspire more confidence and trust in their product.
When it comes to calculating the overall IMPACTS score Daylight gets a 6, with Somryst scoring 13 – more than double. IMPACTS scores may be on the lower end of the total range for both products (largely driven by the low Information score for both, a consequence of the novelty of the DTx concept overall) but the comparison stands: given the product descriptions as they are presented to consumers, Somryst has the higher potential between the two. The IMPACTS framework points to the barriers that form in consumers’ minds when reviewing new concepts and indicates which contributing factors manufacturers need to focus on, to overcome them.
Survey information:
Bryter carried out a survey of 1,082 US consumers in March 2023.
About Bryter and digital pharmaceutics
Bryter is an international market research and insights consultancy specialising in pharmaceutical research. We work with leading manufacturers and service providers to better understand the role pharma plays in people’s lives, enabling them to develop & market their products and services more effectively.
Read more about innovation in digital health and its impact on patient experience and the delivery of healthcare
You can read more about digital therapeutics and access a variety of other reports and resources at our website bryter-global.com
