Digital health technologies (DHTs) are expected to improve both the quality and delivery of healthcare services for European countries while ensuring the sustainability of Europe’s healthcare systems. DHTs are also able to collect real-world data and evidence relevant for decision makers. However, the implementation of DHTs implies new methodological challenges to the standardisation of assessment criteria. As long as existing Health Technology Assessment methodologies remain not harmonised and interoperable at EU level, they are unable to capture the real added value of DHTs.
EDiHTA will be the first flexible, inclusive, validated and ready-for-use European HTA framework reaching Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6-7, allowing the assessment of different DHTs (e.g. telemedicine, mApps, AI) at different TRLs, territorial levels (national, regional and local) and perspectives (e.g. payer, society, hospital). All relevant stakeholders will contribute to its design, development and validation. The digital framework will be piloted in real healthcare settings in 5 major European hospitals and through an open piloting scheme with European DHT developers.
The principles of EDiHTA are to 1) promote a holistic approach involving all stakeholders for consensus building at national and European levels; 2) define a common terminology, harmonise and enrich existing HTA frameworks and create an open repository with frameworks, guides, articles and HTA methodologies; 3) optimise assessment processes along the DHT life cycle; 4) follow a multi-stakeholder, multi-domain and modular approach; 5) co-create EDiHTA solutions; and 6) provide a validated and ready-for-use digital HTA framework for DHTs.
EDiHTA is a 4-year Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Action funded under call HORIZON-HLTH-2023-IND-06-07.
The project is set to start on January 1 2024.
Funded by the European Union (GA no. 101136424). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union the European Health or the Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
The UK participant is supported by UKRI grant No 10106869 (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence).
The Swiss participant is supported by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI).
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