Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39497184›Full record

ArticleArchives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique2024

Top-funded companies offering digital health interventions for the prevention and treatment of depression: a systematic market analysis.

Oscar Castro, Alicia Salamanca-Sanabria, Aishah Alattas, Gisbert Wilhelm Teepe, Konstantin Leidenberger, Elgar Fleisch, Lorainne Tudor Car, Falk Muller-Riemenschneider, Tobias Kowatsch

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Oscar Castro *Future Health Technologies, Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore-ETH Centre, Singapore, Singapore. oscar.castro@sec.ethz.ch.
Alicia Salamanca-Sanabria *Future Health Technologies, Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore-ETH Centre, Singapore, Singapore.
Aishah AlattasFuture Health Technologies, Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore-ETH Centre, Singapore, Singapore.
Gisbert Wilhelm TeepeCentre for Digital Health Interventions, Department of Management, Technology and Economics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Konstantin LeidenbergerCentre for Digital Health Interventions, Institute of Technology Management, University of St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland.
Elgar FleischFuture Health Technologies, Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore-ETH Centre, Singapore, Singapore.
Lorainne Tudor CarFamily Medicine and Primary Care, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.
Falk Muller-RiemenschneiderSaw Swee Hock School of Public Health National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Tobias KowatschFuture Health Technologies, Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore-ETH Centre, Singapore, Singapore.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDigital innovations can reduce the global burden of depression by facilitating timely and scalable interventions. In recent years, the number of commercial Digital Health Interventions for Depression (DHIDs) has been on the rise. However, there is limited knowledge on their content and underpinning scientific evidence. This study aimed to: (i) identify the top-funded companies offering DHIDs and (ii) provide an overview of their interventions, including scientific evidence, psychotherapeutic approaches and use of novel technologies.

methodsA systematic search was conducted using two venture capital databases to identify the top-30 funded companies offering DHIDs. In addition, studies related to the DHIDs' were identified via academic databases and hand-searching. The methodological quality of the publications was evaluated using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.

resultsThe top-30 funded companies offering DHIDs received a total funding of 2,592 million USD. Less than half of the companies produced any scientific research associated with their DHIDs, with a total of 83 publications identified. Twenty-five publications were randomised control trials, of which 15 reported moderate-to-large effects in reducing depression symptoms. Regarding novel technologies, few DHIDs incorporated the use of conversational agents or low-burden sensing technologies.

conclusionsFunding received by top-funded companies was not related to the amount of scientific evidence provided on their DHIDs. There was a strong variation in the quantity of evidence produced and an overall need for more rigorous effectiveness trials. Few DHIDs used automated approaches such as conversational agents, limiting their scalability.

Indexed as

CompaniesConversational agentDepressionDigital health interventionsJust-in-time interventionLow-burden sensing technologiesPreventionSmartphone applicationsTreatment

Identifiers

PMID39497184
PMCPMC11533405

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.