Today, harnessing the technology that is available to facilitate patient care and condition management is a crucial element when looking to go beyond what is possible through medication and doctor consultations alone.

Digital therapeutics_2.jpg — Healint: At the Forefront of Digital Therapeutics

This is especially the case for specific ailments that can potentially manifest debilitating symptoms for more than half of the days in any given month. In this case, frequent status checks and continuous monitoring are both necessary. Digital therapeutics can influence the treatment of these conditions in a variety of ways; they are proven to have value for the patient, provider, and payor.

There is a large value-add in terms of improved care delivery and relief of healthcare resources, namely the limited time of doctors and nurses; where does Healint fit into the improvement process? It is no question that clinical therapy can be enhanced significantly by digital therapeutics. The company has developed the largest migraine tracking and research platform worldwide (created by patients, neurologists and top data scientists within Healint) with over 1.5 million registered users.

Through detailed reporting of migraine statistics following patient-reported outcome entries (Migraine calendar, Migraine impact report, etc.), Healint provides an all-in-one snapshot of a patient’s migraine history over time but also streamlines provider visits by equipping patients with resources that allow them to arrive at their physician’s appointment both prepared and informed. Besides, patient empowerment is increased through self-management and awareness that results from tracking and insight generation that follow the discovery of individual patterns. From a physician’s perspective, one of the most important aspects of a successful digital companion is having access to the information they need at the time they need. In addition, the information must be delivered in a format that is easy to understand quickly. Given the number of patients doctors need to see on a daily basis, there is no time for lengthy data interpretations. The results must be clear and concise. Migraine Impact Reports are available for all Migraine Buddy users and can be transferred to physicians as a pdf file via email with the push of a button. Migraine Buddy is continuing to pave the way for the standardisation of digital therapeutics in the realm of condition management.

Education is also a paramount addition to the resources provided to patients in a digital therapeutic platform designed to help manage their condition. A standard offering on the native Migraine Buddy application is a learning area called the “Newsflow” - it houses content that is tailored to specific patient habits and interests. An essential aspect of navigating through a digital experience is personalisation. Without a personalised experience, patients may be faced with content that is either irrelevant or lacks interest and/or purpose. Outside of providing content that is based on patients’ goals (inputted during the onboarding process), Healint uses specific algorithms that determine patient interests based on tracking inputs. For example, a patient who has a record of taking anti-CGRP may benefit from the latest information on anti-CGRP; this includes key takeaways from the most recent research and findings. Information on anti-CGRP will subsequently appear in a patient’s newsfeed, accessible through a tab found at the bottom of the screen as shown in the image above.

Lastly, as a digital therapeutic platform, Migraine Buddy also offers value for the payor. The effects of a positive migraine treatment plan are immediately measurable, where improvements in a patient’s condition are evident over the course of a tracked month. With other medical conditions, benefits may not be realised right away. Payors may be faced with costly payouts resulting from adverse events that can occur years into a condition once it has matured. This is a huge incentive for widespread adoption of a management tool that helps influence behavior and good habits and allows one to determine the causes of their problem early. The savings in physician visits and treatment costs are clearly measurable.

Overall, digital therapeutics are on their way to becoming the standard; the benefits associated with a treatment companion are clear. Through the use of cutting edge technology and implementation of patient-inspired solutions that are proven to be effective, Healint will continue to foster the growth of digital therapeutics as a standard modern treatment solution.

Authors: Chris Ferruzzi & Healint Data Team

Healint: At the Forefront of Digital Therapeutics