Kim Noori, Nakamura Keisuke Alexander
School of Engineering Technology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
Department of Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
J Audiol Otol. 2024 Jul;28(3):159-166. doi: 10.7874/jao.2023.00780. Epub 2024 Jul 9.
Digital therapeutics (DTx) in hearing research have emerged as a new category of therapies providing evidence-based intervention via digital means, such as software, smartphone apps, or websites. However, although relatively new, they are not well-established. In this article, we review DTx technologies in hearing research fields, focusing on three categories: prevention and diagnosis, aid (assistance), and cure (digital medicine). We observe that most DTx systems require interactions with users (or patients) without the direct support of clinical professionals to obtain or collect medical evidence; this makes training (or education) features crucial to the therapy's success. In this view, this article discusses the education or training functions of the current DTx and their contribution and purposes. The impact of emerging artificial intelligence (AI) on DTx in hearing research is being explored, and the future of DTx concerning AI integration is being discussed. We believe that this work will contribute to a better understanding of the current and future DTx technological advancements and, in particular, shed light on the field of hearing research.
听力研究中的数字疗法（DTx）已成为一类新的疗法，通过数字手段（如软件、智能手机应用程序或网站）提供循证干预。然而，尽管相对较新，但它们尚未得到充分确立。在本文中，我们回顾了听力研究领域的DTx技术，重点关注三类：预防与诊断、辅助（协助）和治愈（数字医学）。我们观察到，大多数DTx系统在没有临床专业人员直接支持的情况下需要与用户（或患者）互动以获取或收集医学证据；这使得培训（或教育）功能对治疗的成功至关重要。从这个角度来看，本文讨论了当前DTx的教育或培训功能及其贡献和目的。正在探索新兴人工智能（AI）对听力研究中DTx的影响，并讨论DTx在人工智能集成方面的未来。我们相信，这项工作将有助于更好地理解当前和未来的DTx技术进步，特别是为听力研究领域提供启示。
