The Decision Support Unit (DSU) was established in 2002 through a collaboration between UK universities to provide research and training support to NICE's technology appraisal program. The DSU conducts appraisal-specific work on 7-10 appraisals annually, involving rapid evaluation and modeling expertise. It also leads methods development through guidance documents, workshops, and research on topics like evidence synthesis, utilities, and uncertainty analysis. The DSU aims to facilitate methods discussions between NICE and industry and improve approaches to health technology assessment.

1. NICE Decision Support Unit
Dr Paul Tappenden
Senior Research Fellow
Acting DSU Director
http://www.nicedsu.org.uk/
14/05/2014 © The University of Sheffield

2. Background to DSU
• Established in 2002.
• Formal collaboration between the Universities of
Sheffield (lead), York and Leicester.
• Peripheral members at LSHTM, Brunel and Bristol.
• May also involve highly specialist expertise from
elsewhere.
• Expertise covers all key areas of HTA.
• Commissioned by NICE to provide a research and
training resource to support the Institute's
Technology Appraisal Programme.

3. Main strands of work
1. Appraisal-specific work
• Rapid evaluation of technical issues/analysis
around health economic evaluation/modelling
problems within specific technology appraisals
• An independent yet highly qualified voice
2. Methods development
• Ongoing role in developing Methods guidance for
NICE
• DSU Technical Support Documents
• Training for industry and NICE Appraisal Committee
members
• Other methods work

4. Appraisal-specific work
• ~7 appraisals per year
• Analysis of additional evidence submitted as part
of the appraisal process
• Cetuximab for 1st line metastatic colorectal cancer
• Lapatinib for metastatic breast cancer
• Provision of modelling expertise unavailable
elsewhere (software)
• Donepezil for Alzheimer’s Disease
• Evaluating Patient access schemes (PAS)
• Tocilizumab for Rheumatoid Arthritis

5. The NICE Methods Guide for
Technology Appraisal
• Setting the agenda for, organising and
facilitating the NICE methods guide for
technology appraisal
• Recent work includes managing the update to
the 2008 NICE methods guide – 6 workshops
covering issues around evidence synthesis,
utilities, uncertainty analysis, subgroups etc.
• Update due in 2011/2012
• Conduit for leading academic centres in HTA

6. DSU Technical Support Documents
(TSDs)
• Series of independent, non-prescriptive reports commissioned to
support NICE Methods Guide
• 14 TSDs completed or near completion
• Main areas:
• Health utilities (x5)
• Evidence synthesis (x7)
• Model development and reviewing evidence for informing model
parameters
• Survival modelling using individual patient data
• Use of regression methods in HTA models

7. Other DSU methods research
• Report and related publications demonstrating the
feasibility of applying Value of Information methods.
• Feasibility projects relating to computerised decision
support systems and orphan drugs
• Equity arguments applied to orphan drugs
• Discounting of costs and benefits
• The role of patient valuations of health states
• The incorporation of uncertainty into cost-effectiveness
models
• The incorporation of equity weights into cost
effectiveness models and decision making

8. Methods training
• Bridge between NICE and the pharmaceutical industry in
providing methods training
• “Masterclasses” held:
• Measurement and valuation of health-related quality
of life
• Network meta-analysis & indirect comparisons
• NICE Appraisal Process, modelling, what makes a
good submission, uncertainty analysis

9. Future updates
• Join our mailing list at :
http://www.nicedsu.org.uk