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Ethics of digital therapeutics (DTx)
P Refolo, D Sacchini, C Raimondi, A G Spagnolo. European review for medical and pharmacological sciences, 2022-09
Topic: Health services, long-term care and technology
Digital therapeutics (DTx) are a subset of digital health which are often coupled with artificial intelligence (A.I.) techniques and machine learning systems. DTx differ from common wellness apps or medication reminder tools in that they require "rigorous" clinical evidence. They are emerging as a new treatment option and are being applied in a variety of areas, including type II diabetes, hypertension, chronic respiratory problems, obesity, insomnia, Alzheimer's disease, various types of dementia or addiction (smoking, alcohol, drugs), anxiety, depression, autism, learning disabilities, and attention deficits. Today, there are roughly 35 to 40 products on the market, 8 of which approved by regulatory agencies. The value of the global DTx market was estimated at USD 1.8 billion in 2018, and it is expected to reach USD 8.9 billion by 2027. Implementing DTx across healthcare systems raises a number of ethical concerns. The present article aims to provide an overview of the main ethical issues pertaining the assessment, implementation, and use of this emerging technology. The final purpose is to support and facilitate an open and transparent deliberation with regard to DTx.
Key findings
- Today, there are roughly 35 to 40 products on the market, 8 of which approved by regulatory agencies.
- The value of the global DTx market was estimated at USD 1.8 billion in 2018, and it is expected to reach USD 8.9 billion by 2027.
- Implementing DTx across healthcare systems raises a number of ethical concerns.
- The present article aims to provide an overview of the main ethical issues pertaining the assessment, implementation, and use of this emerging technology.
- The final purpose is to support and facilitate an open and transparent deliberation with regard to DTx.
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Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 41/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 23 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 41 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (European review for medical and pharmacological sciences) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2022 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 36196692) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 23 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 23 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 41 out of 100. |
| Total | 41 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Refolo, P., Sacchini, D., Raimondi, C., & Spagnolo, A. G. (2022). Ethics of digital therapeutics (DTx). European review for medical and pharmacological sciences. https://doi.org/10.26355/eurrev_202209_29741
Vancouver
Refolo P, Sacchini D, Raimondi C, Spagnolo AG. Ethics of digital therapeutics (DTx). European review for medical and pharmacological sciences. 2022. doi:10.26355/eurrev_202209_29741. PMID: 36196692.
BibTeX
@article{refolo2022-36196692,
author = {Refolo, P and Sacchini, D and Raimondi, C and Spagnolo, A G},
title = {{Ethics of digital therapeutics (DTx)}},
journal = {European review for medical and pharmacological sciences},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.26355/eurrev_202209_29741},
pmid = {36196692},
url = {https://doi.org/10.26355/eurrev_202209_29741}
}
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