Where have digital solutions plugged in to the patient pathway?
This week HBI looks at where some of Europe’s digital healthcare start-ups have plugged into the patient pathway all the way from prevention to long-term care. The graphic suggests where the market is already competitive and where there might be gaps with little activity.
We have created a pathway that a typical patient interacting with digital care might take that goes from self-care and self-monitoring at home, through to symptom-checkers, online pharmacies, remote consultations, online booking and various therapies including mental health, telemonitoring and homecare.
For the past few years most of the activity in the market has come from the remote consultation aspect and this is where the map is most crowded. It’s also where we find the largest digital health players in Europe, Babylon and Doctolib, who both some telemedicine services. It’s clear that some areas have received much less attention, predominantly the chronic disease management space. While America has Livongo, we find scarce competitors in Europe.
Remember also that some of these digital health solutions aren’t confined to one service. While Doctolib is predominantly an online site it has some telehealth services and Babylon has recently started projects in chronic disease management. Doctrin also prides itself on the digitalisation of the whole patient journey through primary care.
As the sector develops we expect to see more of the solutions breaking down the silos and form part of a more comprehensive platform. The question will be whether this happens through M&A, through these start-ups broadening out their product offering, or by somebody creating a platform for third-parties to plug into.
