The ever-increasing number of new and innovative digital health technologies (DHTs) also sets new demands on health technology assessment (HTA) methods in addition to traditional HTA domains. In 2018, the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health recognized the need for new HTA methods for DHTs in Finland and commissioned method development.

The development work of the new HTA method for DHTs and the findings related to it were based on three substudies:

(i) The new HTA method was developed through a literature review, expert interviews, and four multiprofessional workshops.

(ii) Feedback about new HTA recommendations was collected from healthcare decision-makers through a web-based survey (n=24). Feedback on the developed HTA framework was collected through a web-based survey for companies offering DHT products (n=8).

(iii) Initial experiences about the state of data security and protection of assessed products were gathered through the assessment process.

A new Digi-HTA method that supports a wide range of DHTs, such as health apps, AgeTech, artificial intelligence, and robotic solutions, was published in 2019. According to the healthcare decision-makers participating in the study, although the Digi-HTA recommendations included clear and beneficial information, their integration into healthcare decision-making processes should be improved. Responses from companies offering different DHTs indicated that the Digi-HTA framework would be an appropriate tool for performing assessments for their products. During the assessments, deficiencies in compliance with the best practices of data security and protection as well as data security problems were found.

The rapid development of DHTs requires that the HTA methods also adapt to the development so that no new and innovative products are excluded from the assessments. In addition to the value of DHTs, their quality, such as data security and protection, should be assessed so that decision-makers can be supported in the best possible ways.

There has been a lack of health technology assessment (HTA) methods for novel digital health technologies (DHTs) such as mHealth, artificial intelligence, and robotics in Finland. The Digi-HTA method has been developed for this purpose. The aim of this study is to determine whether it would be possible to use Digi-HTA recommendations to support healthcare decision-makers. Secondly, from the perspective of companies offering different types of DHT products, this study assesses the suitability of using the Digi-HTA framework to perform HTAs for their products.

Feedback about Digi-HTA recommendations was collected from healthcare professionals. DHT companies provided input about the Digi-HTA framework. Data were collected via a web-based survey and were analyzed using qualitative methods.

Of the twenty-four healthcare professional respondents, twenty said that the Digi-HTA recommendations contained all the necessary information, and twenty-one found them useful for their work. Respondents hoped that the Digi-HTA recommendations would be better integrated into the decision-making processes and healthcare professionals would be more informed about this new HTA process. The questions of the Digi-HTA framework were applicable for different DHT products based on the responses from DHT companies (n = 8).

According to the study participants, although the Digi-HTA recommendations include clear and beneficial information, their integration into healthcare decision-making processes should be improved. Responses from DHT companies indicate that the Digi-HTA framework would be an appropriate tool for performing assessments for their products. To generalize the findings of this study, more comprehensive studies will be needed.