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New guide to support evaluation of digital health products

3 February 2020

A new online guide from Public Health England's Digital team and academics at UCL is designed to help everyone evaluate digital health products and services.

Model workshop

Huge numbers of apps and other digital health products are being developed, but working out how effective they are can be complicated. This guide and future work will help the health community to develop evidence-based products, and to demonstrate their impact, cost-effectiveness and benefit to users. Read the full guide here

The guide is now in public beta – it is available to everyone but it is still being developed. The team really welcome your feedback, so do have a look and let us know what you think. 

“As a founder of a digital health company, if I absorb 70–80% of what is here, I feel like I’d have a really good foundation for evaluation", comment from participant in user research.

The guide offers practical guidance on evaluating digital health products. It takes you through the whole process of conducting an evaluation, and is intended for anyone involved in developing or running a digital health product. 

The approach taken by the guide includes optional workshops on developing a theory of action and on selecting appropriate measures of health outcomes. 

It has been written by academic evaluation experts from University College London, Dr Henry Potts and Paulina Bondaronek, and Content Designers in the PHE Digital team. Dr Potts notes: 

“Digital health products present many challenges for evaluation compared to other health services. Digital is a rapidly evolving field. Digital products are often complex, involving multiple components. Digital products may exist within a crowded ecosystem of alternatives. This guide offers an introduction to evaluation methods that can cut through these complexities.” 

The project advisory group included UCL's Professors Ann Blandford and Elizabeth Murray. 

Read the guide on GOV.UK. The content is still being developed: you can fill in a feedback form here, or get in touch with the team at evaluation@phe.gov.uk

Many interventions in healthcare go through extensive evaluations to prove they are safe, effective and cost effective. But with the NHS and Public Health England moving to a digital-first approach, and hundreds of thousands of health apps coming from the private sector, we have a new generation of digital health products with limited or no of whether they work. 

Digital health products present many challenges for evaluation compared to other health services. Digital is a rapidly evolving field. Digital products are often complex, involving multiple components. Digital products may exist within a crowded ecosystem of alternatives. 

The guide offers an introduction to evaluation methods that can cut through these complexities. It also ties with NICE’s Evidence Standards Framework for Digital Health Technologies. 

The evaluation service team includes Kassandra Karpathakis (Digital Strategy Lead), Felix Greaves (Deputy Director of Science and Strategic Information), Hasan Ali (product manager), Fionnuala O’Toole (evaluation advisor), Bobak Saadat (delivery manager), Dr Henry Potts (academic advisor), and Flora Death (senior content designer).