Do existing real-world data sources generate suitable evidence for the HTA of medical devices in Europe? Mapping and critical appraisal

Mike Drummond, Benedetta Pongiglione, Aleksandra Torbica, Hedwig Blommestein, Saskia de Groot, Oriana Ciani, Sarah Walker, Florian Dams, Carl Rudolf Blankart, Meilin Mollenkamp, Sandor Kovacs, Rosanna Tarricone

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Aim
Technological and computational advancements offer new tools for the collection and analysis of real-world data (RWD). Considering the substantial effort and resources devoted to collecting RWD, a greater return would be achieved if real-world evidence (RWE) was effectively used to support Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and decision making on medical technologies. A useful question is: To what extent are RWD suitable for generating RWE?

Methods
We mapped existing RWD sources in Europe for three case studies: hip and knee arthroplasty, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and mitral valve repair (TMVR), and robotic surgery procedures. We provided a comprehensive assessment of their content and appropriateness for conducting the HTA of medical devices. The identification of RWD sources was performed combining a systematic search on PubMed with gray literature scoping, covering fifteen European countries.

Results
We identified seventy-one RWD sources on arthroplasties; ninety-five on TAVI and TMVR; and seventy-seven on robotic procedures. The number, content, and integrity of the sources varied dramatically across countries. Most sources included at least one health outcome (97.5%), with mortality and rehospitalization/reoperation the most common; 80% of sources included resource outcomes, with length of stay the most common, and comparators were available in almost 70% of sources.

Conclusions
RWD sources bear the potential for the HTA of medical devices. The main challenges are data accessibility, a lack of standardization of health and economic outcomes, and inadequate comparators. These findings are crucial to enabling the incorporation of RWD into decision making and represent a readily available tool for getting acquainted with existing information sources.

Original languageEnglish
JournalInternational Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care
Volume37
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 26 Apr 2021

Bibliographical note

© The Author(s), 2021. Published by
Cambridge University Press

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