Can Digital Technologies Help Overcome Diabetes? An Assessment of the Recent PHTI Review

A recent report by the Peterson Health Technology Institute (PHTI) has raised questions about the effectiveness and cost-benefit of digital interventions for diabetes management. The report conducted a comprehensive literature review, analyzing 49 studies to assess whether digital interventions improved clinical outcomes and justified their costs. While most interventions showed positive outcomes, the report concluded that many were not financially worthwhile when considering additional costs. Virta Health, focusing on low-carbohydrate strategies and technology-enabled coaching, emerged as a positive example. Critics of the report argue that it overlooked significant evidence of success. Moving forward, stakeholders like the Digital Therapeutics Alliance advocate for further investigation to uncover more successes in digital interventions for diabetes.