Medical technologies evaluation programme methods guide

promote faster uptake of new medical technologies in the health and social care system

encourage collaborative research (that is, both industry and the health and social care system) to generate evidence on the clinical utility or system benefits of selected technologies.

identifying and selecting appropriate medical technologies that would benefit from national evaluation

routing these medical technologies to a NICE programme for evaluation

evaluating medical technologies routed to the committee, including:

Technologies may be modified over time in ways that change their effectiveness.

The clinical outcomes resulting from the use of technologies often depend on the training, competence and experience of the user.

Clinical evidence on technologies, particularly new technologies, is often limited, especially comparative evidence with appropriate alternative treatments or methods of diagnosis.

Benefits to the health and social care system of adopting medical technologies often depend on organisational factors, such as the setting in which the technology is used or the staff who use it, in addition to the benefits directly related to the technology.

For diagnostic tests, improved clinical outcomes depend on the subsequent delivery of appropriate healthcare interventions. Evidence for their efficacy is difficult to assess, because improved diagnostic accuracy may not be reflected in improved clinical or quality-of-life outcomes.

Some technologies are used to manage or investigate a number of different medical conditions and may be used by different healthcare professionals and in a variety of healthcare settings.

Costs of medical technologies often comprise both procurement costs (including associated infrastructure) and running costs (including maintenance and consumables).

A new technology may influence costs by its effect on various aspects of the care pathway, in addition to costs directly related to its use.

In general, medical technology pricing is more dynamic than that of other medical interventions.