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The GLIOMATCH platform will be assessed and optimised through continuous evaluation of the data management, ethical/legal compliance, data infrastructure, data accessibility/security, and implementation strategy. This includes the social and health economic impact assessment led by the University of Edinburgh with the support of Timelex. The in-depth analysis of the platform’s impact on patients and healthcare systems ensures that the complex technology behind this project is developed and used effectively.
Often, promising advancements in healthcare technology fail to scale because their impacts are not assessed in real time, and they struggle to match users’ practical needs. To make sure the GLIOMATCH platform reaches its full potential, we are conducting a health technology implementation and value assessment by real-time mixed methods. The assessment of GLIOMATCH’s cost-effectiveness will be the basis for its integration into healthcare systems. It will also help us make informed business decisions and improve the platform’s user-friendliness in different settings. To achieve this, we will conduct what is known as implementation science.
Implementation science is the scientific study of methods and strategies that help translate evidence-based practice and research into use by doctors and policymakers. It identifies the benefits, risks, and unintended consequences of technological innovations, and uses the obtained insights to develop the next generation of implementation strategies. For instance, the reasons for discrepancies between intended and real use can be identified and addressed, for example, by introducing user training and engagement plans. Implementation science also helps us create strategies that work well in many different situations, based on learnings from past experiences.
To understand the value of the technology, we will follow standard methods in health economics to undertake a cost and cost-effectiveness analysis, as well as a budget impact assessment. By making use of mathematical simulations, health economists will perform a decision modelling exercise and estimate costs and effects from changes in GLIOMATCH’s clinical pathway. Key information requirements for an economic analysis include a description of current standard of care clinical pathways, treatment, and outcomes in different countries and contexts. The ‘decision impact’ of the technology will be an essential parameter to determine GLIOMATCH’s cost-effectiveness.
