NICE’s EVA programme rapidly provides recommendations on promising health technologies that have the potential to address national unmet need. This guidance aims to reduce inequalities in accessing musculoskeletal services across the country, with other benefits envisaged include reducing waiting lists, the number of GP and physiotherapy appointments, the use of medication and the potential need for surgery.
Pathway through Pain is the only clinically validated digital Pain Management Programme (PMP). The flexible web-based course is designed to help people take control and better manage chronic/persistent musculoskeletal pain and has already helped thousands of people. Pain medicine experts teach participants a new approach to pain, empowering self-management of pain for an improved quality of life with pain no longer in control.
NICE has assessed early evidence on the selected digital technologies to determine if earlier patient and system access in the NHS is appropriate while more evidence is generated. They can be used in the NHS while more evidence is generated, to manage non-specific low back pain in people aged 16 and over. More evidence will be generated over the next 3 years to assess if the benefits of these technologies are realised in practice. NICE guidance will be reviewed to include this evidence and make a recommendation on the routine adoption of this technology across the NHS.
Two key requirements for the selected digital therapeutics are that they have appropriate regulatory approval and meet the standards within NHS England’s Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC). Pathway through Pain is a selected technology that already satisfies both requirements. Following successful generation of the required evidence over the 3-year period, the data will be evaluated for full NICE guidance, with the potential for every patient to have the right to treatment of the digital therapeutics that have satisfied all criteria.
The full guidance can be read here.
Discover more about Wellmind Health:
Wellmind Health has pioneered Digital Treatments as a Service (DTaaS) for over a decade. The company’s proprietary cloud-based DTaaS platform is designed exclusively for scalable development, deployment and delivery of digital treatments, with real-time patient and clinical data available through a unique management portal. NHS-commissioned clinical-grade treatments for better mental health and pain management deliver long-term improved health outcomes, health system benefits and in-year cost savings.
The secure web-based Management Portal delivers best-in-class functionality and world-leading clinical data. Clinicians and therapists can manage program participants, monitor engagement and satisfaction in real time, and report on their self-assessed health outcomes using a variety of clinical outcome measurements at granular and aggregated levels. The company has full healthcare regulatory compliance.
