Advancing Digital Therapeutics in Mental Health, HIMSS22

A lineup of case studies and panel discussions around Digital Therapeutics in Mental Health at HIMSS Helsinki 2022. ?

Case studies

A lineup of non-profits, enablers, startups and investors were invited. Amongst the attendees were patient advocates, faculty, and business representatives.?

• Overcoming the mental health burden of cancer and treatment and the associated health inequalities using digital tools, by Megan Simpson, Tired of Cancer?
• Treating depression and helping adolescents, by Carmen Pauline Rios Benton, Doctomatic
• Solving burnout via self-help, yours truly, Digiburn??
• Patient perspective on inequalities faced by people with serious mental illness, the challenge in accessing, by Steve Gilbert OBE
• Evidence-based mental health treatment with long-lasting outcomes, by Tuure L?nnroth, Meru Health??

Panel discussion

• Megan Coder, moderator, Digital Therapeutics Alliance?
• Liz Ashall-Payne, Founding CEO, ORCHA
• Laura Broek, Health Project Officer, Allied for Startups
• Dr. Bilal Mateen, Digital technology and clinical tech lead, Data for Science and Health, The Wellcome Trust
• Steve Gilbert OBE

My Personal Takeaways

HIMSS showing interest in Digital Therapeutics (DTx) is a breakthrough?

Only a few years back Digital Therapeutics (DTx) was considered a novelty, a fancy abbreviation that mostly no one truly understands. HIMSS joining the discussion can only be of great value for the entire industry.?

We are moving from "What is DTx?" towards "How do we make DTx better?"

We are witnessing more discussions on later-stage topics, such as Deep patient engagement, Working with clinicians, Health Technology Assessment (HTA), Cross-country Harmonization, Balancing between requisites <> innovation, etc.?

Let's meet the patient at the right time, place, and solution. Inspired by Thomas Insel MD.

There is still a lot to be done to move from - "the patient will come to us" - towards "Let us be at the right place, time, and with the right offering". Let us keep in mind everything we do is purely for the patients’ sake and figure out the optimal touchpoints for meaningful interaction.??Author note: the

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No system was ever born perfect. Let's learn from one another.??

Judging the neighbors - DiGA, ORCHA, etc. is easy. Instead, let's start learning from one another's accomplishments and shortcomings to speed up European-wide and Global spread and adoption of Digital Therapeutics.

One size does not fit all.

Expecting every solution to fit within the very same box may not be optimal. Further, many roads lead to Rome, let's be open and inspired to come up with novel, out-of-the-box ways for addressing underserved conditions, geographies, and patients. Setting the boundaries too tightly may result in an entire country or region being excluded from an otherwise effective patient-centric solution

?We are living in the onset of a Global Mental Health crisis.?

The mental health system was never perfect. In fact, it never really came even marginally close to matching the rest of healthcare. This goes a long way from access, awareness, patient-centricity, use of biomarkers, data-driven decision-making, and strict protocols for assessment and intervention. The mental health system was overwhelmed long before we got to meet COVID, the current war, and all arising and expected burdens on mental wellness. We need to act promptly, put the patient in the center, and come up with scalable, sustainable solutions.?

Digital Phenotyping?- the future of mental health. ?

We are swimming in an ocean of digital biomarkers, health- and behavioral data. Yet somehow, we still struggle to make any meaningful use of it. We see a gap between Lifestyle/Entertainment digital solutions, excelling at engagement, action, and quick wins. On the other end of the spectrum, we have the health tracker perspective, often delivering a well-structured overview of various indicators (sleep, movement, nutrition, etc.), yet little actionable advice or focus on actual intervention/therapeutical use cases. It is the right time to start closing the gap. Let’s leverage existing data, and empower the user for informed cognitive and behavioral changes for leading a more fulfilling life. Build trust, engagement, and commitment. In parallel let’s move on the scientific front to finally dress-up mental health with the long-due analytics, prediction models, and digital biomarkers. Round off nicely by expanding with behavior data, sentiment analysis, temporal and contextual analysis.

Fall in love with the patient’s problem, not the solution.?

We are already good at talking about patient-centricity. It is time to also walk the talk. Tech-infused innovation, commercial goals, and adhering to requirements, risk leaving the patient out of the creation process. Digital Therapeutics per se isn’t the solution. It can be seen as the means for holding a clinically validated claim and commitment for delivery. Still, it should be all about patients' lives and outcomes. Keep a fresh mind, innovate on a blank sheet of paper, and de-couple of the status quo - both on clinicians' and patients' sides. Follow the real-world data closely.

Closing remarks

As always, HIMSS has been a highly engaging event. While I could keep on listing insights, and I would love to hear from you, the reader.

• Do You agree with anything of the above? What is Your personal take??
• Which DTx areas do You deem most promising in 2022?
• What are Your greatest challenges and riddles?
• What can we all do - as individuals, providers, and society as a whole to capture more value out of the DTx, addressing previously unmet needs??

Many thanks for HIMSS22 Helsinki being an astonishing host and bringing together so many bright people from across the globe. Participating in the session has been an honor and a great pleasure for our entire team. We are looking forward to the next HIMSS editions, as well as engaging actively with the relevant local communities.

Disclaimer All of the above represents my personal, subjective opinion. The content has been written with the intention of insight sharing, discussion, and promotion of Digital Therapeutics (DTx). The content has not been reviewed or endorsed by any of the parties mentioned. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily represent any policy or position of HIMSS. In case of any objections, false claims, or otherwise editorial needs, please feel free to contact me via DM on LinkedIn or in the comment section below.?

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