Digital Medicine Society Launches Pediatric Digital Health Guidelines to Address Innovation Gaps

The Digital Medicine Society (DiMe) has unveiled "The Playbook: Pediatric Digital Medicine," a significant industry guideline designed to tackle the unique challenges faced in pediatric digital health innovation and optimize care delivery for children. Developed in collaboration with Boston Children's Hospital and other key industry partners, the playbook addresses critical gaps in pediatric digital health investments and innovation barriers.

This comprehensive framework offers essential guidance for developers, clinicians, healthcare professionals, investors, and life sciences specialists navigating the complexities of creating digital health solutions for pediatric populations. The playbook is structured around four pivotal chapters: market dynamics and sustainable business opportunities; centering the user in product development; implementation and scale; and digital health technologies in clinical investigations.

"The future of pediatric healthcare depends on the choices we make today. In my practice, I see the urgent need for pediatric-specific digital health tools," said Amy Molten, chair of the American Pediatrics' section on advances in therapeutics and technology.

"But need alone isn't enough," she continued. "True progress requires turning good intentions into meaningful action. By applying the same rigor, care, and creativity to pediatric digital health as we do to life-saving interventions, we can create technology that truly serves children and their caregivers."

Ian Miller, program lead for DiMe, emphasized the vulnerability of children in the U.S. healthcare system and the significant care gaps they face. "We are proud to have built these open-source resources that will fast track the development and use of technological advancements that center on children's unique needs and deliver safe, effective, and equitable care," Miller said in a statement.

The initiative comes as part of DiMe's broader efforts to enhance digital health innovation across various sectors. In January, the organization partnered with Peterson Health Technology Institute, ZS Associates, and other industry groups to improve the development and implementation of integrated evidence plans for digital health products, focusing on streamlining commercialization pathways.

DiMe has established a strong track record of collaborative industry initiatives. In 2023, the organization joined forces with digital health and pharmaceutical partners to launch a toolkit aimed at improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in clinical trials. The previous year saw DiMe release four toolkits designed to help healthcare and life science organizations effectively use data from wearables and remote patient monitoring systems at scale.

Also in 2022, DiMe collaborated with several pharmaceutical giants and payers to create a digital endpoints toolkit. This open-access resource, developed in partnership with Anthem, Biogen, Eli Lilly, Evidation, Janssen, Merck, Pfizer, and Savvy Co-op, provides payers with a roadmap for including digital endpoints in reimbursement frameworks for new drugs.

The Pediatric Digital Medicine playbook represents DiMe's continued commitment to addressing specialized healthcare needs through coordinated, multi-stakeholder approaches to digital innovation.

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