BACKGROUND
Digital therapies are being studied as a new treatment method that can have higher efficacy than traditional treatments such as pills or biological agents.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to meta-analyze the results of digital therapy studies conducted from January 2017 to October 2022 to understand the overall treatment outcomes.
METHODS
Seven studies and eight control groups were analyzed using Hedges’ g to calculate effect sizes.
RESULTS
The weighted average effect size for the eight control groups was 0.91 (Hedges’ g = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.62 to 1.20), indicating a moderate to large effect size. Furthermore, excluding one study, the weighted average effect size was 1.13 (Hedges’ g = 1.13, 95% CI: 0.91 to 1.36), indicating an even larger effect size. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Bias Risk Assessment Tool developed by the Cochrane Group, and the risk of bias was found to be low.
CONCLUSIONS
This study confirmed that digital therapies can have important treatment effects. Digital therapies offer advantages such as easy management of patients’ treatment processes and personalized treatment. However, digital therapy may have limited efficacy for patients who lack the ability to use digital devices or software. Therefore, it is necessary to clearly understand the relevant advantages and disadvantages and search for more effective treatment methods in conjunction with the active use of digital therapies.