THE DOCTOR PRESCRIBES VIDEO GAMES AND VIRTUAL REALITY REHAB
AMID THE COUNTRY'S growing substance abuse crisis, last year the FDA cleared reSET, a mobile app that tracks substance use, cravings, and social triggers to treat dependency on alcohol, cocaine, and cannabis. The FDA's clearance makes reSET one of the first prescription “digital therapeutics”—an emerging class of evidence-based interventions that are predominantly driven by software rather than drugs.
Earlier this year, digital medicine company Akili Interactive announced that its video game for children with ADHD demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in a randomized, controlled clinical trial. That milestone paves the way for what could be the first prescription video game. And this summer, Apple announced an FDA- cleared algorithm and app combo that uses Apple Watch data to detect atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart condition.
See the full story here: https://www.wired.com/story/prescription-video-games-and-vr-rehab/