Adaptive digital twin analysis in healthcare: An opportunity for prescription digital therapeutics

Health systems in Norway and across Europe are under increasing strain from chronic conditions, long waiting times, and limited clinical capacity. At the same time, evidence-based digital therapeutics (DTx) are emerging as regulated tools to prevent, manage, and treat disease through clinically validated software interventions. Scandinavia has played a pioneering role in evaluating internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy for conditions such as insomnia and perinatal depression, demonstrating that well-designed, integrated digital solutions can complement existing healthcare services. However, despite promising trial evidence, large-scale adoption of DTx remains inconsistent due to regulatory, reimbursement, organisational, and cultural barriers. In parallel, simulation-based methods such as discrete-event modelling and digital twins are increasingly applied to optimise healthcare delivery and test alternative service configurations. Building on these developments, this project proposes the creation of an adaptive digital twin of a chronic care pathway to analyse how different deployment strategies for prescription digital therapeutics could impact system access, resilience, and resource utilisation.