Article type
Abstract
Background
The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) produces different types of guidance for different audiences and purposes, using different decision-making contexts and methodologies. This includes technology appraisal guidance (mandatory guidance for the National Health Service [NHS] to make funding available for cost-effective interventions) and advisory guideline recommendations (advice to inform individual decisions on choice of effective and cost-effective treatment options). The challenge for us is to ensure that all our relevant guidance on a topic is readily available and accessible for our users.
Objectives
To bring together all NICE’s guidance on a topic to provide a better experience for users and help increase the adoption of NICE guidance. Clearer guidance will lead to improved clinical practice, better outcomes for patients, and better use of NHS resources.
Methods
We have developed interim methods and processes for this project. These enable 2 approaches for including our technology appraisal recommendations into our guidelines. We will either (1) present technology appraisal recommendations unchanged in a guideline or (2) analyze and compare all treatment options for a specific clinical area. This will ensure that the most clinically and cost-effective options are recommended at each stage.
To support the latter approach, we have sought to align methods and processes across NICE’s Guidelines and Health Technology Evaluation programs, taking into account the following principles:
•access to the right treatments for patients and clinicians
•protection of the NHS budget
•operational feasibility for NICE and its system partners
•ensuring methodologically robust and suitable approaches
Results
The interim method and process statement proposes alignment solutions for important areas of difference between NICE’s programs (eg, approach to industry engagement and evidence submissions to support NICE health technology evaluations).
Conclusions
Aligning our methods to support the inclusion of NICE technology appraisal recommendations in guidelines will help us produce more useful and usable guidance. Following consultation with stakeholders (February to April 2024), these interim methods and processes will be updated and piloted on live NICE guidelines.
The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) produces different types of guidance for different audiences and purposes, using different decision-making contexts and methodologies. This includes technology appraisal guidance (mandatory guidance for the National Health Service [NHS] to make funding available for cost-effective interventions) and advisory guideline recommendations (advice to inform individual decisions on choice of effective and cost-effective treatment options). The challenge for us is to ensure that all our relevant guidance on a topic is readily available and accessible for our users.
Objectives
To bring together all NICE’s guidance on a topic to provide a better experience for users and help increase the adoption of NICE guidance. Clearer guidance will lead to improved clinical practice, better outcomes for patients, and better use of NHS resources.
Methods
We have developed interim methods and processes for this project. These enable 2 approaches for including our technology appraisal recommendations into our guidelines. We will either (1) present technology appraisal recommendations unchanged in a guideline or (2) analyze and compare all treatment options for a specific clinical area. This will ensure that the most clinically and cost-effective options are recommended at each stage.
To support the latter approach, we have sought to align methods and processes across NICE’s Guidelines and Health Technology Evaluation programs, taking into account the following principles:
•access to the right treatments for patients and clinicians
•protection of the NHS budget
•operational feasibility for NICE and its system partners
•ensuring methodologically robust and suitable approaches
Results
The interim method and process statement proposes alignment solutions for important areas of difference between NICE’s programs (eg, approach to industry engagement and evidence submissions to support NICE health technology evaluations).
Conclusions
Aligning our methods to support the inclusion of NICE technology appraisal recommendations in guidelines will help us produce more useful and usable guidance. Following consultation with stakeholders (February to April 2024), these interim methods and processes will be updated and piloted on live NICE guidelines.