Appendix C: Selection criteria used by the topic oversight group

NICE process and methods

Selection criterion	Detail
Claimed additional benefit to patients	The extent to which a medical technology claims measurable benefit to patients over currently available health and social care system technologies in terms of its impact on quality of life or life expectancy.
Claimed healthcare system benefit	The extent to which the technology is likely to reduce use of staff or facility resources. For example, the extent to which a technology: facilitates outpatient diagnosis or treatment has the potential to replace several technologies in current use requires fewer staff than the technologies in current use reduces length of hospital stay.
Patient population	The larger the number of patients on whom the technology may be used, the greater the likelihood that a national evaluation is important.
Disease impact	The greater the impact of the disease or condition on quality of life or life expectancy, the greater the likelihood that a national evaluation is important. For technologies aimed at treatment, consideration should take into account the likely degree of improvement in life expectancy, disease severity and quality of life, paying particular attention to conditions that are associated with social stigma.
Cost considerations	Consideration of the costs of the technology, including initial acquisition costs (including associated infrastructure) and running costs (including maintenance and consumables).
Sustainability	Is the technology likely to contribute to the sustainability agenda, for example, less energy usage or less waste generation during production or clinical usage?