HealthTech of the Week: Menopause Without Taboos or Waiting Rooms: How Digna’s Remote Clinic Works

In the first August edition of our Healthtech of the Week series, we return to the topic of menopause. It’s worth reminding that although it affects half the population, menopause has remained medically underrepresented for decades. Addressing the health challenges faced by perimenopausal women, Digna — a modern online clinic — has emerged as a solution that redefines how women access medical care during this pivotal life stage. With its innovative telemedicine model, interdisciplinary specialist team, and the use of artificial intelligence, Digna is addressing a long-standing systemic gap.

The inspiration behind Digna stemmed from the multi-layered challenges women face during menopause. Often, symptoms such as mood swings, insomnia, joint pain, heart palpitations, or skin changes are not recognized as menopause-related — even by general practitioners or specialists. Both local and global research indicate that the majority of physicians do not feel adequately trained to help women in this stage of life. This often leads to a prolonged journey through the healthcare system, filled with frustration, uncertainty, and declining well-being.

Digna’s model is built around collaboration among medical experts across various specialties — gynecology, dermatology, urogynecological physiotherapy, psychiatry, psychology, dietetics, and family medicine. These professionals work together on a telehealth platform to ensure a holistic evaluation and treatment plan tailored to the patient’s individual needs.

The Strength of Remote-First Healthcare

What caught our editorial team’s attention is one of Digna’s core principles: its fully remote operating model. All consultations take place via video platform, which significantly improves access to care — especially for patients in smaller towns or rural areas.

– From our perspective, this is a tremendous advantage. We can hire the best specialists in the country without geographic limitations. Patients who previously had to travel hundreds of kilometers in search of the right diagnosis can now access a highly specialized team within just a few days – explains Agnieszka Pisz, the clinic’s founder.

Naturally, the remote model has its limitations — particularly in terms of lab testing or imaging. Digna addresses this challenge with a flexible approach: patients can either upload results from tests they’ve already completed or receive orders for testing and follow-up within the same consultation window. This system allows for swift therapeutic intervention — including hormone therapy — without repeated interactions with the broader healthcare system.

And the consultation process itself? It begins with the patient logging into the platform and joining the scheduled appointment. Lab results can be uploaded before or during the session. After the consultation, the physician issues a care plan, e-prescriptions, and referrals for further testing if needed.

For those requiring long-term care, Digna offers care packages available for either three months or one year. These include access to a lead physician and other specialists recommended based on the patient’s evolving needs. This remote management model for menopause care enables ongoing monitoring and timely interventions — improving continuity and effectiveness of treatment.

AI as the Invisible Assistant in Everyday Care

While Digna doesn’t build its own tech solutions, it successfully utilizes medtech tools developed in the Polish healthtech ecosystem. A key example is its use of electronic medical documentation (EMD) with AI-driven functionality, which can generate automatic visit notes during doctor-patient conversations.

As the Digna team highlights, modern digital tools are not just about delivering healthcare services — they also empower patients in managing their daily lives.

– Menopause is not only a matter of physical health. It’s a period of profound change — psychological, emotional, social. Technology can support women on many levels, from symptom tracking apps and digital mood journals to access to behavioral therapy. Healthtech in menopause isn’t the future — it’s a necessity – says Pisz.

While stereotypes suggest that women 45+ may struggle with technology, Digna’s experience tells a different story. The greatest barrier is not digital literacy, but the deeply ingrained expectation that gynecological care must involve a physical exam.

That’s why the clinic’s team places strong emphasis on education, clarifying that a physical examination is often only required at the initial stage of diagnosis. Once treatment — hormonal or non-hormonal — is initiated, it can typically be managed entirely online with regular check-ins and ongoing contact with a dedicated physician.

What’s Next?

Digna is currently focused on building a diversified offer for two key patient segments: women who are just beginning to recognize their menopausal symptoms and those who are already on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and seek support from specific specialists. Regardless of their experience level, Digna places patient-centered care above all else.

– We don’t want to be just another general-purpose online clinic. We want to be a place that truly understands menopausal women — their physiology, their emotions, their needs, and their aspirations. Only then can we deliver real healthcare value and continue to grow – concludes Agnieszka Pisz.

In a world dominated by one-size-fits-all healthcare solutions, Digna focuses on a deep understanding of one specific patient group. This targeted approach may well become a new standard in digital medicine — patient-centric, interdisciplinary, and accessible from anywhere in the country. For women living outside of major urban areas, where access to specialized care often feels like a distant dream, Digna brings that care directly into their homes.

We hope this marks a meaningful step toward expanding menopause awareness and specialized care — a development the healthcare system sorely needs.

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Stay tuned for more in the “HealthTech of the Week” series, where we’ll continue to uncover fascinating stories from the world of medical technologies that are changing the face of healthcare. If you’re working on an innovative project in the field of new technologies and medicine or want to recommend an interesting solution, contact us at: [email protected].