Med Tech-related technology assessments from NICE in May 2026

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) develops HealthTech Guidance (HTG) to evaluate HealthTech products (such as diagnostics, medical devices, and digital technologies, including artificial intelligence) and interventional procedures. The program focuses on assessing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of HealthTech products and the safety and efficacy of interventional procedures. 

NICE uses a lifecycle approach for HTG, reflecting the development stage of technology: Early use (innovative technologies with potential to address NHS unmet needs but insufficient evidence); Routine use (innovative technologies with sufficient evidence for widespread NHS adoption); Existing use (assess technologies in widespread use in the NHS to inform commissioning and procurement decisions).

NICE generally makes four types of recommendations: “Can be used” is the most favorable recommendation, meaning routine NHS use; “Can be used during the evidence generation period” – recommendation is conditional on evidence generation; “More research is needed” – limits the use to research settings only; “Should not be used”. The exception is existing use HTG, which recommends whether any technology should be used over other similar technologies in widespread NHS use, and what to consider when choosing between them. Recommendations are not binding, although they are typically followed by providers and commissioners.

In May 2026, NICE released two new Early Use HTGs on digital technologies to support self-management of asthma and artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted echocardiography analysis and reporting to support the diagnosis and monitoring of heart failure, which made the following recommendations:

• NICE recommended seven technologies to be used in the NHS during the evidence generation period as options to support self-management of asthma: Asthmahub, Asthmahub for Parents, Digital Health Passport, Luscii, MyAsthma, Respiratory Disease Management Platform, Smart Asthma. The committee made these recommendations as the evidence on digital technologies for asthma self-management is limited. Short-term studies show they may improve asthma control, with users finding them easy to use and safe. However, most studies are small and observational, and long-term effectiveness is uncertain. Two of the technologies reported a planned release in the NHS in 2026 and will be included in recommendations when they have Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) approval and are available for use in the NHS.
• NICE concluded that more research is needed on four artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted echocardiography analysis and reporting technologies to support the diagnosis and monitoring of heart failure, before they can be funded by the NHS: EchoConfidence, EchoGo Heart Failure, Ligence Heart, and Us2.v2. The committee made these recommendations based on limited and uncertain evidence for all four AI tools. EchoConfidence and Us2.ai may save time and be cost-effective, but it is unclear if they reduce waiting times or are safe for NHS use.

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