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From convenience to credibility: How DTP advertising shapes trust in digital health
Devon Bottin
As direct-to-patient (DTP) care models scale, growth is determined less by frictionless onboarding or paid acquisition efficiency and more by trust. The digital health market, valued at approximately $175 billion in 2020, is projected to exceed $650 billion within five years, fueled by telehealth, virtual prescribing, and app-based care.1 Telemedicine visits alone reached roughly 1 billion globally in 2022, up from negligible levels pre-pandemic.1 Adoption is no longer the barrier—patient confidence is.
Trust has not grown at the same pace. While nearly 80% of US consumers have used digital health tools, 77% report trusting physicians and clinicians most for medical guidance, far surpassing trust in digital platforms and apps.2 This gap is particularly consequential as DTP companies expand beyond low-acuity services into chronic disease management, specialty prescribing, weight management, and behavioral health. These platforms are no longer simply facilitating access—they influence medical decisions, which requires credibility that extends to every touchpoint, including advertising.
The sector’s durability underscores the stakes. Of 478 US direct-to-consumer digital health companies founded between 2011 and 2023, more than 93% remained operational in 2023 despite funding contractions.3 DTP care is not a passing trend—it is becoming embedded in the healthcare ecosystem. But long-term viability depends on aligning media and advertising practices with clinical standards, regulatory guidance, and ethical patient engagement.
Digital advertising sits at the center of this alignment. Early DTP growth often mirrored consumer retail—optimizing paid channels, leveraging influencer marketing, and streamlining conversion. Yet in healthcare, advertising shapes expectations around diagnosis, prescriptions, and outcomes. Oversimplified claims, incomplete risk disclosures, or exaggerated results can erode both patient trust and regulatory compliance. Responsible DTP advertising requires evidence-based claims, prominent disclosures, and influencer or testimonial content that meets substantiation standards consistent with healthcare regulations.
Data practices further influence credibility and trust in advertising. Many DTP platforms operate in sensitive categories—mental health, sexual health, fertility, and metabolic care—where targeting relies on highly personal information. Even as digital options grow, patients remain cautious about sharing data beyond clinical contexts.2 Ethical DTP advertising prioritizes transparent consent, restraint in behavioral targeting, and clear communication about how patient information is used. Messaging must reinforce clinical credibility, not undermine it.
For digital health marketers, the implication is clear: trust must be intentionally engineered across the full patient journey. Direct-to-patient care is more than a marketing channel—it is a care delivery model, and digital advertising plays a critical role in reinforcing credibility and fostering sustained patient engagement. When executed responsibly, advertising can support retention, strengthen patient confidence, and differentiate platforms that endure from those that fail to gain legitimacy.
In the next phase of DTP healthcare, convenience alone is insufficient. Platforms that integrate ethical advertising, transparent data practices, and clinically aligned messaging will build durable patient relationships. In digital health, trust compounds over time—and the way patients are reached, informed, and engaged through advertising can determine which platforms succeed.
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