March 2026 Med Tech-related health technology assessments from the NIHR in England

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds valuable independent research for health and social care decision-makers in England. Reports from the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme are published in the NIHR HTA Journal and inform the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance. 

In March 2026, five Med Tech-related assessments were published in the NIHR HTA Journal, including the following:

• Clinical utility of biomarkers for outcomes prediction in adults with suspected sepsis presenting to the emergency department based on the evidence synthesis. It was concluded that in emergency department patients with clinically suspected sepsis, lactate, C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin did not effectively predict mortality or need for clinical care admission. However, some novel biomarkers (Inflammatix Severity 2, mid-regional proadrenomedullin, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, tyrosine kinase with immunoglobulin-like and epidermal growth factor-like domains 2, monocyte distribution width, and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio) showed promise for predicting these outcomes, particularly when combined with other biomarkers and/or commonly used clinical scores
• Diagnostic tools to establish the presence and severity of peripheral arterial disease in people with diabetes based on a synopsis of the DM PAD prospective multicentre diagnostic accuracy study. The study aimed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of five index tests (audible waveform assessment, visual waveform assessment, toe–brachial pressure index, ankle–brachial pressure index, and exercise ankle–brachial pressure index) for the diagnosis of peripheral arterial disease in patients with diabetes as determined by a reference test (computed tomography angiography or magnetic resonance angiography). In selected sites, to evaluate the performance of a sixth test, the Podiatry Ankle Duplex scan, a new point-of-care duplex ultrasound scan, was used. It was concluded that index tests used routinely in clinical practice for diagnosing peripheral arterial disease in patients with diabetes showed poor diagnostic accuracy for peripheral arterial disease and should not be recommended for diagnosing peripheral arterial disease in this population.

Other assessments, published in March 2026, focused on the implementation of eye screening programs for patients with diabetes, clinical and cost-effectiveness of surgical and non-surgical splint treatment for proximal phalanx shaft finger fractures in adults, and diagnostic strategies for ovarian cancer in women with non-specific symptoms.

See the full details here.

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