Med Tech-related health technology assessments from NIHR in April 2025

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 April 2025, five Med Tech-related assessments were published in the NIHR HTA Journal:

• Evaluation of prognostic models to improve prediction of metastasis in patients following potentially curative treatment for primary colorectal cancer, based on the prospective multicenter cohort trial (PROSPECT). A prognostic model using standard clinicopathological variables (such as age, tumor size, tumor stage, nodal stage, sex, tumor location as left or right colon, venous invasion, and treatment groups)  outperformed tumor/node staging alone. However, adding perfusion CT, immunohistochemical, or genetic variables did not significantly enhance prediction. This suggests that biomarkers appearing promising in small, single-center studies may not substantially improve prognostication when rigorously evaluated.
• Supporting self-management with an internet intervention for low back pain in primary care based on a multicenter, pragmatic, three-parallel-arm randomized controlled trial with parallel economic evaluation. The “SupportBack” internet intervention is primarily a six-session digital platform to provide accessible behavioral support for the self-management of low back pain, focusing on increasing activity and including a range of modules on LBP-related topics. The "SupportBack" platform, whether used alone or with physiotherapist phone support, was not significantly more effective than usual primary care in reducing low back pain-related disability over 12 months. However, it was deemed safe and likely cost-effective. Future implementation of similar digital platforms should consider their cost-effectiveness, accessibility, and safety alongside their limited clinical effectiveness.
• Three reports were published as outputs of the project “CONtact TrAcing in Care homes using digital Technology” (CONTACT) awarded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment program: “Smart” Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wearables for digital contact tracing in care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic: a process evaluation of the CONTACT feasibility study, Evaluating the performance of wearable devices for contact tracing in care home environments, CONTACT: a non-randomised feasibility study of bluetooth-enabled wearables for contact tracing in UK care homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CONTACT trial introduced Bluetooth Low Energy ‘smart’ wearable devices (BLE wearables) as a basis for automated contact tracing and feedback on infection risks and patterns to care homes to try and improve infection prevention and control (IPC). The results of the process evaluation showed CONTACT’s lack of feasibility and acceptability in the context of shifting COVID-19 pandemic demands. It was concluded that BLE devices will likely provide an effective proximity detection system in environments where participants' mobility is insignificant and the devices are worn correctly without obstruction. In non-pandemic conditions, with more time, better co-design, and integration of theory-driven implementation strategies tailored to care homes’ unique contexts, researchers could enhance normalization and readiness for future pandemic challenges.

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