When the product is
the intervention
April 2026 · By Caitlin Stamatis, PhD
There's a version of health tech that works like this: a founder reads a study, builds a product around the finding, and then markets it using the language of that study. The problem is that the product and the study are usually measuring very different things.
I've spent a lot of time in rooms where product teams are genuinely trying to do this well — and still getting it wrong. Not because they don't care about the science, but because the gap between "evidence-informed" and "evidence-based" is wider than most people realize, and it matters more than most people think.
The claim problem
When a meditation app says it "reduces anxiety," what it usually means is that meditation has been shown to reduce anxiety in controlled studies — and the app delivers meditation. The leap from one to the other feels small. It isn't.
The study used trained facilitators. The app uses audio recordings. The study ran for eight weeks with a specific population. The app is used sporadically by anyone who downloads it. The study measured anxiety with validated instruments at specific time points. The app measures engagement.
None of this means the app doesn't help people. It might. But the honest answer is: we don't know yet, and the way we talk about it matters.
The gap between "evidence-informed" and "evidence-based" is wider than most people realize, and it matters more than most people think.
Why this matters
It matters because people make real decisions based on these claims. They choose an app instead of therapy. They tell their doctor they're "working on it." They spend money they might have spent differently. And when the product doesn't deliver what the marketing promised, the person doesn't blame the marketing — they blame themselves.
That's the part that keeps me up at night.
What I'd love to see more of
Companies that lead with honesty about what they know and what they don't. Products that are transparent about their evidence base — what level of evidence they have, what the limitations are, and where they're investing in learning more. Clinical advisors who aren't just names on a website but are embedded in the product development process.
It's not glamorous. It doesn't make for a punchy landing page. But it builds the kind of trust that actually lasts.