  Digit therapeutics are novel software devices that clinicians may utilize in
delivering quality mental health care and ensuring positive outcomes. However,
uptake of digital therapeutics and clinically tested software-based programs
remains low. This article presents possible reasons for attrition and low
engagement in clinical studies investigating digital therapeutics, analyses of
studies in which engagement was high, and design constructs that may encourage
user engagement. The aim is to shed light on the importance of real-world
attrition data of digital therapeutics, and important characteristics of
medical devices that have positively influenced user engagement. The findings
presented in this article will be useful to relevant stakeholders and medical
device experts tasked with addressing the gap between software medical design
and user engagement present in digital therapeutic clinical trials.
