Tag Archives: apps

WHAT ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF DIGITAL THERAPEUTIC APPS THAT ARE CURRENTLY AVAILABLE

Mindstrong Health – This digital therapeutic helps manage serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. It does this through passive data collection from a patient’s phone to analyze their digital behaviors and patterns over time. This passive behavioral data is then used by AI algorithms to predict relapses or deteriorations in symptoms. If any issues are detected, notifications are sent to the patient and their doctors so they can intervene early before a full-blown episode occurs.

Big Health – The company is best known for their digital therapeutic app called Sleepio. Sleepio is one of the most well-established and studied apps for improving sleep. It uses cognitive behavioral therapy techniques through a 6-week program delivered via the app. Each night, users report on their sleep and any issues through a daily diary. The app then provides tailored techniques, tools and psychoeducation videos to help users develop better sleep habits and address issues like insomnia. Multiple clinical trials have found Sleepio significantly improves sleep outcomes.

Pear Therapeutics – This company has developed several FDA-cleared prescription digital therapeutic apps to treat disease areas like addiction, schizophrenia, and chronic pain. One of their apps is called reSET, which is intended to treat substance use related to cocaine, alcohol, and marijuana use disorders. It provides 90 days of CBT, mindfulness and motivational interviewing content. Another Pear app called reSET-O is for opioid use disorder and has also undergone rigorous clinical testing demonstrating effectiveness.

QuitGenius – A digital therapeutic aimed at treating tobacco and nicotine addiction. It provides an 8-week evidence-based program combining elements of CBT, contingency management and smartphone tracking/ monitoring. Users work through lessons and activities in the app while getting live coaching support from trained tobacco treatment specialists. Clinical studies show QuitGenius more than doubles smoking quit rates compared to going “cold turkey” or using willpower alone.

Insight Therapeutics – Their digital therapeutic called Terapia is one of the few FDA-cleared apps for treating major depressive disorder. It provides twice-weekly 30 minute therapy sessions via video chat with a licensed therapist. Integrated into the app is ongoing symptom tracking, homework assignments, psychoeducation content and messaging with one’s assigned therapist in between sessions. Clinical trials found Terapia as effective as traditional in-person therapy for improving depression symptoms.

Ginger – A digital behavioral health platform offering both digital therapeutic apps and on-demand therapy services via text, phone or video. Their main app focuses on anxiety, depression, burnout and well-being. It provides techniques like cognitive restructuring, behavioral activation, mindfulness and journaling. Users have access to licensed therapists and coaches 24/7 via the app for guidance. Studies show Ginger significantly reduces anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Welldoc – Their BlueStar app is a digital therapeutic for managing diabetes. It incorporates education, tracking of blood sugar levels, medication reminders, as well as lifestyle and behavioral coaching. BlueStar has extensive clinical evidence demonstrating improved hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels and diabetes control when used as an adjunct to standard medical care. It aims to help patients better self-manage their condition on a daily basis.

Pearl – A digital therapeutic designed for pregnant women and new mothers to address perinatal mood and anxiety disorders like postpartum depression. Similar to other options, it provides evidence-based therapeutic techniques through a mobile-based CBT program. This includes activities, exercises and tracking tools delivered in-app, along with 24/7 support from a team that includes nurses, social workers and psychologists. Research shows Pearl significantly reduces symptoms of perinatal mood disorders.

This covers some of the major available digital therapeutics currently on the market targeting conditions like mental health issues, substance use disorders, medical conditions and more. As can be seen, they leverage techniques like CBT, mindfulness, behavioral activation, tracking tools and remote therapeutic support through mobile and connected devices to deliver clinically validated mental and behavioral healthcare interventions at scale. The evidence continues accumulating that digital therapeutics can be effective alternatives or adjuncts to traditional therapy models.

WHAT ARE SOME POPULAR TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGIES USED FOR DEVELOPING MOBILE APPS IN A CAPSTONE PROJECT?

Some of the most commonly used tools and technologies for building mobile apps in a capstone project include:

Programming Languages: The programming language used will depend on whether the app is being developed for iOS or Android. For iOS, Swift and Objective-C are the main languages used, while Android apps are typically developed using Java and Kotlin. Other cross-platform languages like Flutter, React Native and Xamarin can be used to develop apps that run on both platforms.

Development Environments: For iOS development, Xcode is Apple’s official IDE (Integrated Development Environment) used for building iOS, watchOS, tvOS, and macOS software and includes tools for coding, designing user interfaces, and managing projects. For Android development, Android Studio is the official IDE which is based on the JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA software and includes emulator capabilities and tools for code editing, debugging, and testing. Visual Studio Code is another popular cross-platform code editor used along with plugins.

User Interface Design Tools: Sketch and Figma are popular UI/UX design tools used for wireframing and prototyping mobile app interfaces before development. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are also commonly used for graphics design aspects. During development, UI elements are coded using XML layout files and UI kit frameworks.

Databases: Most apps require databases for storing persistent data. Popular cross-platform options include SQLite (for local storage), and remote cloud databases like Firebase (NoSQL) and AWS. Realm is another powerful cross-platform mobile database that supports both offline and synchronized data.

Networking/APIs: APIs enable apps to pull in remote data from the web and connect to backend services. Common RESTful API frameworks used include Retrofit/Retrofit2 (Android), and Alamofire (iOS/Swift). For calling external APIs, JSON parsing libraries like Gson, Moshi and SwiftyJSON are helpful.

Testing Tools: Testing frameworks like JUnit (Java), XCTest (iOS), and Espresso (Android) help automatically test app functions. Additional tools for GUI testing include Appium, Calabash, and UI Automator. Beta testing platforms allow distributing pre-release builds for crowd-sourced feedback.

App Distribution: Releasing the finished app involves building release configurations for distribution through official app stores. For Android, the built APK file needs to be uploaded to the Google Play Store. iOS apps are archived and submitted to Apple’s TestFlight Beta Testing system before final release on the App Store. Alternatives include direct distribution through other app markets or as an enterprise app.

Version Control: Git is universally used for managing the source code history and changes through versions. Popular hosting platforms are GitHub, GitLab and Bitbucket for open source collaboration during development. Integrating continuous integration (CI) through services like Jenkins, Travis CI or GitHub Actions automates things like running tests on code commits.

3rd Party Libraries/SDKs: Common third-party open source libraries integrated through dependency managers massively boost productivity. Popular examples for Android include, but are not limited to, SQLite, Glide, Retrofit, Google Play Services, Firebase etc. Equivalents for iOS include CoreData, Alamofire, Kingfisher, Fabric etc. Various other SDKs may integrate additional functionalities from third parties.

App Analytics: Tracking usage metrics and diagnosing crashes is important for improvement and monitoring real-world performance. Popular analytics services include Google Analytics, Firebase Analytics, and Fabric Crashlytics for both platforms. These help analyze app health, usage patterns, identify issues and measure the impact of changes.

DevOps Automation: Tools for automating deployments, configurations and infrastructure provisioning. Popular examples are Docker (containerization), Ansible, AWS Amplify, GitHub Actions, Kubernetes, Terraform etc. Help smoothly manage release workflows in production environments.

Some additional factors to consider include app monetization strategies if needed, security best practices, compliance and localization aspects. While the specific tools may differ between platforms or use cases, the above covers many of the core technologies and frameworks commonly leveraged in modern mobile application development projects including capstone or thesis projects. Adopting best practices around design, development workflows, testing and data ensures student projects meet industry standards and help demonstrate skills to potential employers.