Developing Digital Therapeutics: The University Health Network Experience

Quynh Pham
The Centre for Global eHealth Innovation, Techna Institute, University Health Network; Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa
Joseph Cafazzo
The Centre for Global eHealth Innovation, Techna Institute, University Health Network; Healthcare Human Factors, Techna Institute, University Health Network; Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto

DOI:https://doi.org/10.5912/jcb1023

Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic has been particularly revealing of the state of “eHealth”, “digital health”, and “virtual care” in addressing the needs of healthcare systems under the strain of demand and the restrictions brought on by public health concerns of the spread of the virus. The vast majority of what was deployed to address the needs of patients and providers were video conferencing platforms, which were quickly eschewed due to poor usability and increased scrutiny over privacy and security concerns and replaced with the simple telephone. Even this modest use of technology was short-lived, as most returned to in-office visits when public health directives allowed for it or when virtual care billing codes expired