What are the Clinical Innovation Metrics?

The Clinical Innovation Metrics report measures how innovative technologies are being adopted within the NHS. It was commissioned by the Office of Life Sciences and we have worked with the Department of Health's Ministerial Medical Technology Strategy Group.

The report looks at six technologies, chosen because they are representative across the med-tech industry:

1. Insulin pumps: for type1 diabetes patients.
2. Spinal cord stimulation: helping to alleviate chronic pain.
3. Positron emission tomography with computed tomography (PET-CT scans): benefitting cancer patients.
4. Intensity modulated radiotherapy: more precise radiation treatment for cancer patients.
5. Brain-type natriuretic peptide tests: to help diagnose heart failure and reduce the need for and echocardiogram.
6. Cardiac resynchronisation therapy: for patients with heart failure.

The project explores what data already exists to enable the measurement of uptake rates. It also makes proposals for the long term collecting and publishing of information on the adoption of these new technologies. These recommendations will also pave the way for measuring the introduction of other innovative technologies into NHS services.

Read the reports

Two reports have now been published, exammining the uptake of innovative technologies and setting out a process for their sustainable measurement.

• Download the report - Clinical Innovation Metrics: Measuring the Uptake of Six Innovative Technologies into the NHS in England (PDF 500KB)
• Download the report - Clinical Innovation Metrics: Process for the Sustainable Measurement of the Uptake of Innovative Technologies by the NHS in England (PDF 1MB)

Why do we have the Clinical Innovation Metrics?

There are many new and innovative healthcare technologies being developed, evaluated and promoted to healthcare professionals on a regular basis.

Innovation can improve quality and efficiency. This is part of the Quality Innovation Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) agenda. The Clinical Innovation Metrics are also being used as part of the Department of Health Innovative Technology Adoption Procurement Programme (iTAPP).

What are the benefits of the Clinical Innovation Metrics?

The two reports above describe:

• A credible evidence base for measuring the adoption of these six technologies.
• A process for collecting and publishing data on the adoption of these six technologies.
• A standard process that can be applied to new technologies that have been approved for use in the NHS.

As the data becomes available:

• NHS providers will be able to benchmark their progress in implementing new technologies.
• SHA innovation leads will be able to monitor uptake and identify bottlenecks.
• National policymakers will be able to evaluate the success of innovative technologies and encourage their uptake.
• Patients will receive improved treatment and better patient experience.

Getting involved

We are actively looking for any organisation involved in using, deploying or collecting data on any of these technologies. Contact us via enquiries@ic.nhs.uk or 0845 300 6016.