Digi-HTA
Digi-HTA is a method developed for digital products and services for social and health care and well-being. It is used to assess the suitability of a product or service for the use of customers and employees in the sector.
The aspects of the assessment are effectiveness, costs, safety, data protection and security, as well as usability and accessibility. In addition, issues affecting the commissioning of a digital product, such as the care process and changes in IT, are examined in particular.
The representatives of the wellbeing services counties can make use of Digi-HTA assessments, for example, before procurement, in connection with the procurement, when starting the piloting of products or in carrying out a market survey.
The Digi-HTA assessment enables a technology company to demonstrate the suitability of its digital product or service for the use in social and health care or in promoting well-being. The assessment allows the company to obtain an evaluation of its product by independent experts, so the company can also use the assessment in product development.
The Digi-HTA method
Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is an evidence-based review of the suitability of methods for use in healthcare. The assessment is used to support decision-making when considering the introduction of new equipment and methods or the removal of old ones.
The Digi-HTA assessment method is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).
How is the assessment done?
Experts from FinCCHTA and the University of Oulu assess the product from different perspectives. The assessment of key areas uses a “traffic light model” where the different areas are scored. FinCCHTA makes the conclusion based on the total score and agrees with the company on publishing the assessment on the FinCCHTA website.
What is the assessment based on?
Digi-HTA assessments are based on information provided by the company, supplemented by a literature review, expert reviews and possible additional questions for the companies. The product information is collected using the Digi-HTA questionnaire and the self-assessment form developed by the National Emergency Supply Agency’s Kyber-Health Project.
How long is the conclusion valid?
The conclusion is valid for three years. A company may request a reassessment of an individual component if it has made significant improvements to the product.
Current events
8.10.2024 Towards harmonization of assessment of digital health applications and technologies: Digi-HTA vs PECAN
The latest report in FinCCHTA’s publication series on the harmonization of assessment of digital health applications and technologies has been published. The report describes the practical application of the French PECAN model and the Finnish Digi-HTA model, as well as their similarities and differences. The report has been implemented in collaboration with the University of Oulu.
6.8.2024 A new assessment has been published!
FinCCHTA has published a new Digi-HTA – assessment. Terve Päivä – Digital lifestyle guidance
10.6.2024 A new assessment has been published!
FinCCHTA has published a new Digi-HTA – assessment. Tunstall TSP – a system for receiving and processing personal alarm alerts.
20.5.2024 The Digi-HTA assessment of the Smila Care Service has been updated regarding data security and privacy.
The updated assessment is available: Smila Care Service
16.5.2024 A new assessment has been published!
FinCCHTA has published a new Digi-HTA assessment. MoodPilot® Digital Diary is the first Digi-HTA assessed social welfare application.
15.5.2024 A new assessment has been published!
FinCCHTA has published a new Digi-HTA assessment: DentView – a digital self-care guidance tool for oral health
5.5.2024 A scientific article that includes a comparative study of the Digi-HTA, DiGA, NordDEC, and CEN-ISO/TS 82304-2:2021 assessment models has been published.
Haverinen, J. et al. (2024). Finnish Digi-HTA Assessment Model for Digital Health and an International Comparison. In: Särestöniemi, M., et al. Digital Health and Wireless Solutions. NCDHWS 2024. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 2084. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-59091-7_20
16.2.2024 A new assessment has been published!
FinCCHTA has published a new Digi-HTA assessment: Onnikka® lifestyle intervention application for weight management
1.2.2024 A new assessment has been published!
FinCCHTA has published a new Digi-HTA assessment: eConsultation – A Digital Service Centre
8.1.2024 A new assessment has been published!
FinCCHTA has published a new Digi-HTA assessment: StellarQ-platform (user interface for professionals)
21/04/2023 – Towards harmonization of the assessment of digital health applications and technologies: comparative reports DiGAV & Digi-HTA and NordDEC & Digi-HTA
The second and third reports of FinCCHTA’s three-part publication series on the harmonization of assessment of digital health applications and technologies have been published. The reports include the application of DiGAV, NordDEC and Digi-HTA, similarities and differences from the point of view of harmonization of evaluation methods. The reports have been implemented in cooperation with the University of Oulu.
The reports can be downloaded from FinCCHTA’s website: Digi-HTA & DiGAV and Digi-HTA & NorDEC
23/02/2023 – Towards harmonization of assessment of digital health applications and technologies: CEN-ISO/TS 82304-2 & Digi-HTA
The first report of FinCCHTA’s three-part publication series on the harmonization of assessment of digital health applications and technologies has been published. The report discusses the application of the technical specification CEN-ISO/TS 82304-2 and Digi-HTA, similarities and differences from the point of view of harmonization of assessment methods. The report has been implemented in cooperation with the University of Oulu and the Label2Enable project.
You can read the news release from this link. The report can be downloaded from FinCCHTA’s website:
Contact information
E-mail: fincchta@pohde.fi
Telephone (exchange): + 358 8 315 4394
E-mail addresses: firstname.lastname(at)pohde.fi
Jari Haverinen – Senior Planning Officer, FinCCHTA
Petra Falkenbach – Head of Assessment, FinCCHTA
