Med Tech-related health technology assessments in Wales in August 2025

Health Technology Wales (HTW) is a national body working to improve the quality of care in Wales. It is funded by the Welsh Government and hosted within NHS Wales, but is independent of both. HTW covers medical devices, diagnostics, procedures, psychological therapies, models of care, and social care support, excluding pharmaceuticals.

HTW uses a staged process of assessment by developing three types of documents. The topic exploration report (TER) aimed to assess whether there is enough evidence to proceed with a full appraisal and whether the topic meets the appraisal selection criteria. Based on the TER conclusions, HTW's Assessment Group decides whether to progress this topic further. If yes, the following two documents can be developed: Evidence Appraisal Report (EAR) and Guidance (GUI). Recommendations are not mandatory; the status of HTW guidance is "adopt or justify," meaning that the local health board and other relevant bodies are expected to report on how they have considered the appraisal and guidance. If they have chosen not to adopt HTW guidance, they are asked to outline their rationale and justify their decision.

In August 2025, HTW accomplished two full appraisals, published Evidence Appraisal Reports and Guidances with the following recommendations:

• Long-length peripheral intravenous catheters (LPCs) are recommended as an alternative to short peripheral catheters (SPCs) for patients with difficult access who need IV therapy lasting 4 to 14 days. Evidence indicates LPCs may last longer and have fewer failures than SPCs, but they are less durable and more prone to failure than midline catheters (MCs). Economic analysis suggests LPCs are cost-effective for treatment durations of 4 to 14 days, though their cost-effectiveness compared to MCs or SPCs for shorter periods remains uncertain;
• Photoplethysmography (FibriCheck) for managing atrial fibrillation shows potential for detecting and monitoring the disease in adults, but current evidence is insufficient for routine use. While smartphone photoplethysmography has good diagnostic accuracy and may reduce resource use and speed up diagnosis in some cases, evidence on long-term effectiveness and cost savings is limited. More research is needed for this application.

In addition, one TER was published on salvage high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) for local recurrence of prostate cancer after prior curative radiotherapy, for which HTW's Assessment Group decided to proceed with the full appraisal. 

One TER was released in the e-Health field, for which HTW's Assessment Group has decided not to proceed with a full appraisal.

See the full details here.

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