Navigating the evidence landscape for digital health technologies

Digital health is a diverse and fast-moving sector, defined by rapid innovation. Unlike traditional medical technologies, their impact can be difficult to capture with traditional clinical trial methods. The extremely broad range of digital technologies requires a flexible approach to evidence generation.

At YHEC, we specialise in generating the evidence needed to navigate this unique sector. Our experience as an External Assessment Group for NICE, evaluating digital health technologies and other medical devices, allows us to provide strategic foresight and produce evidence strategies that are aligned with the trajectory of digital health policy and practice. We find the right evidence method for you, whether you develop solutions that improve health system efficiency, mobile health technologies that encourage behaviour change, or models that guide treatment, deliver acute monitoring, or diagnose.

How can YHEC help the digital health sector?

We support digital health innovators at every stage of the product life cycle:

During early development stages, we help you to:

  • Develop early economic models to explore value propositions.
  • Navigate uncertainty with structured and forward-looking evidence strategies tailored to your technology’s specific context.
  • Understand the buying language of health systems and the type of economic evidence needed for early adoption stakeholders.
  • Stay on top of the rapidly evolving assessment landscape for these technologies.

As your product develops, we provide support to:

  • Address evidentiary challenges by identifying the appropriate methods for generating evidence for different types of digital technologies and clinical situations.
  • Integrate patient- and clinician-reported outcomes to capture the full value of your technology in real-world settings.
  • Structure your evidence plans to anticipate future health technology assessment (HTA) and payer requirements.
  • Conduct gap analyses to identify gaps in existing evidence, prioritising the clinical and economic evidence required to demonstrate the value of your technology.
  • Synthesise your evidence and value story through literature reviews, economic models and statistical analysis.

Preparing your value proposition and market access strategy is an important factor in a successful launch. We work with you to:

  • Align your evidence with the expectations of payers, hospital procurement, and other key decision makers.
  • Create compelling value communications that are easy to interpret and resonate with stakeholders.
  • Anticipate payer expectations for economic models and evidence submissions, considering how to maintain a consistent value narrative through multiple product iterations.

After launch, continuous monitoring and evidence generation are important for long-term success. We assist you to:

  • Strengthen your value proposition with real-world data that reflects the lived experiences of patients and clinicians.
  • Address new evidentiary challenges that emerge in the real world.
  • Prepare for evolving healthcare priorities by embedding considerations of sustainability and equity into any continuous evidence plans.
  • Analyse patient registries and health databases to collect real-world data supporting your product.

Talk to our expert

For more information about digital health, talk to our expert – Hayden Holmes.

Hayden is sat behind a computer desk, looking and smiling at someone off-camera. The YHEC logo is visible on the wall behind him.