Digital Therapeutics with Virtual Reality and Sensors

Digital Therapeutics (DTx) is an emerging field within Digital Health that is rapidly growing and holds promise for addressing anxiety-related disorders. Moreover, the combination of virtual reality (VR) and wearable sensors holds great potential for developing affordable, accessible, and effective DTx solutions. In this paper, we present our conception of a fully customised DTx for managing and supporting anxiety-related disorders therapy. We highlight five key assumptions that should be considered when developing such a DTx. These assumptions include the customisation of virtual environments (VEs); integration of physiological data and patient feedback; the use of dashboards for data visualisation; session replay and identification of peak response moments; and patient empowerment throughout the therapeutic process. By embracing these assumptions, we describe the main components constituting this DTx and emphasise fundamental features to fulfil the identified assumptions. Furthermore, we explore some of the potential benefits and challenges of DTx applied to mental health.