Keynote on Digital Therapeutics for Healthy Longevity by Tobias Kowatsch, Northeastern, USA, 18 April 2023
Today, Prof. Dr. Tobias Kowatsch was invited to give a keynote on digital therapeutics for healthy longevity by Prof. Dr. Varun Mishra, Northeastern University. Dr. Kowatsch also visited the lab of Prof. Dr. Timothy Bickmore. A big thanks goes to Varun and Tim!
About the keynote
In the 20th century, healthcare systems specialized in acute care. In the 21st century, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are responsible for around 70% of all deaths worldwide and 80% of all healthcare expenditures in developed countries. The prevention, management, and treatment of NCDs require an intervention paradigm focusing on health-promoting behavior in our everyday lives. For example, a nutrient-rich diet, physical activity, stress management, and sleep hygiene can reduce the risk of developing or help better manage NCDs. However, a corresponding change in lifestyle is only implemented by a fraction of those affected, partly because of missing or inadequate interventions or health literacy, partly due to sociocultural influences. Individual personal lifestyle coaching is neither scalable nor financially sustainable. To this end, the question arises of how to develop digital therapeutics for healthy longevity (DTxHL) that allow medical doctors and other caregivers to scale and tailor long-term treatments to individuals in need at sustainable costs. This research talk will introduce the anatomy of an ideal DTxHL and provide some examples from the Center for Digital Health Interventions.
