2.F. Workshop: Innovations for chronic diseases management: complementing usual care with digital therapeutics

The management of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including both physical and mental disorders, remains a pressing global health challenge in high-income countries and low-resource settings. Digital health technology, also known as eHealth, could help improve the management of chronic diseases, in the post-pandemic era, by facilitating data exchange between patients and health professionals. Specifically, digital therapeutics, which utilize technology to deliver evidence-based interventions, have demonstrated potential to complement traditional care approaches and improve outcomes for patients with chronic NCDs. The proposed joint workshop, organized by two EPH sections (chronic disease and digital health and communication), will provide four presentations on innovative approaches to improve the management of major chronic disease, with focus on digital health technologies, which can provide alternative cost-effective options in both high-income countries and low-resource settings. The workshop will explore how digital therapeutics can enhance the management of chronic NCDs, such as diabetes and common mental disorders among others, by complementing existing healthcare practices. The selected speakers are international leaders in the field and will represent different geographic contexts within Europe (Malta, Italy, and Switzerland) and North America (Canada). KEY MESSAGES: • Digital health technologies can provide alternative cost-effective options in chronic disease management. • Digital therapeutics can enhance the management of chronic NCDs by complementing existing healthcare practices.