August 2026 Med Tech-related health technology assessments from the NIHR in England

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funds valuable independent research for health and social care decision-makers in England. Reports from the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme are published in the NIHR HTA Journal and inform the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance. 

In August 2026, five Med Tech-related assessments were published in the NIHR HTA Journal, including the following:

• Decompressive craniectomy versus craniotomy for patients undergoing surgical evacuation of acute subdural hematoma, based on an international, multicenter, pragmatic, parallel-group randomized trial with an additional observational arm (RESCUE-ASDH RCT). It was concluded that decompressive craniectomy did not result in better functional outcomes than craniotomy, with outcomes at 12 months being similar between the two groups. Additional surgery was required more frequently following craniotomy, while wound complications occurred more often following decompressive craniectomy. The economic evaluation also indicated that craniotomy was associated with lower costs, higher quality of life, and better value for money than decompressive craniectomy.
• Home-testing devices for diagnosing obstructive sleep apnoea hypopnea (OSAHS). The study conducted a systematic review of the clinical effectiveness of novel home-testing devices in people with suspected OSAHS and a health economic evaluation modeling the incremental cost-effectiveness of these devices compared with home respiratory polygraphy or oximetry. It was concluded that novel devices for home-based sleep studies in adults are a cost-effective alternative to oximetry, albeit with some uncertainty. It is difficult to assess the cost-effectiveness of novel devices compared with respiratory polygraphy.
• Interventions to reduce pain at dressing change of chronic wounds, based on a mixed-methods systematic review. Pain was found to be highly variable and influenced by wound type, healing stage, and previous experiences. Non-adhesive and ibuprofen-releasing foam dressings consistently reduced pain, while gauze dressings were frequently associated with increased discomfort. It was concluded that while some interventions show promise, many commonly used strategies lack robust evidence.

Other assessments concerned blood-test monitoring strategies for patients established on immunosuppressing drugs, based on a mixed-methods study, and the development and evaluation of the electronic frailty index+ (eFI+) tool for older people.

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