Appendix 1 Interview protocol

The NIHR has commissioned RAND Europe to conduct and assessment of the impact of the
NIHR HTA programme. RAND Europe is an independent not-for-profit public policy
research institute.

This study seeks to:

identify the impacts of the NIHR HTA programme over the period 20032013 across
a broad range of areas, including: health policy, clinical practice, patient health, the
economy and research
look at the impacts of the programme as a whole as well as specific case study
examples
produce recommendations for how the HTA can maximise the impact of its research
in the future.

To this aim, we have scheduled interviews with experts from a range of stakeholder groups.

Taking part in the interview is entirely voluntary. All information collected in the interview
will be kept strictly confidential. Any quotes included in the assessment will be anonymised.

With your permission, we would like to record this interview for the purpose of writing up
notes and conducting the analysis.

A. Details about their organisation

1. Could you please tell us a bit about your background and your involvement with the
NIHR HTA programme?

B. Specific questions depending on perspective of

interviewee (ask all that apply)
PPI questions

1. How effectively does the HTA programme engage and involve patients and the
public?
2. At what stages are the public involved (prompts if needed: project design, execution,
dissemination)?
3. Does the HTA address the right topics that matter to patients? What does it miss?
4. How has the HTAs approach to PPI changed over time?
5. How does it differ from other research funders?
6. What does the HTA programme do well in terms of PPI?
7. What could it do to improve PPI?

Customer questions (just ask about their organisation select as

appropriate)
 1. How does NICE/NSC/SIGN use HTA research?
2. How important is HTA research to NICE/NSC/SIGN?
3. How has this changed over time?
4. Is NIHR HTA evidence widely used in guideline development (e.g. for NICE
outside of TARs)?
5. What could be done to make it more useful?
6. What do you think the relationship between NICE/NSC/SIGN and the HTA
programme should look like?
7. Optional: How widely are guidelines used in practice?
8. Is NIHR HTA research used in practice through other means (e.g. directly
implemented on a local level)?
9. What does the HTA programme do well in terms of dissemination and
communication of its research?
10. What challenges are there in the communication and uptake of HTA research?

NHS/health system questions

1. What impact does the HTA programme have on practice in the NHS?
2. Does the HTA programme address NHS priorities effectively?
3. Are HTA studies directly taken up in practice?
1. If so, how does this happen? What barriers are there? What enablers?
4. How widely are guidelines and other NICE/NSC products (e.g. TARs) used in
practice? What influences this?
5. What could the HTA programme do better to achieve its mission of providing
information on effectiveness, costs and broader impact of healthcare treatments and
tests to those who plan, provide or receive care in the NHS?
6. What does the HTA programme do well?
7. What challenges are there in the communication and uptake of HTA research?

Industry questions

1. What impact does the HTA programme have on the pharmaceutical industry (e.g.
drug development, research priorities, etc.)?
2. What impact does the work of the HTA programme have on the research conducted
by the pharmaceutical industry?
3. Does the work of the HTA programme inform your industrys research agenda?
4. How well does the HTA programme interact with research programmes in industry?
What are the challenges?

International questions (only for those with international Health Technology

Assessment expertise)

1. How does the HTA programme compare to similar organisations in other countries?
2. What does it do well compared to other countries?
3. What could it learn from others?
4. To what extent do you think the NIHR HTA programme has had an impact outside of
the UK, if at all?
1. Does the HTA programme have an influence on international practice in this
field? (Examples, which could be used as prompts if necessary and relevant:
 Do you require systematic reviews before conducting primary research? Are
your protocols openly published? What proportion of your research leads to a
publication, including negative results?)
2. Is UK HTA research taken up elsewhere internationally?
3. Any other impacts?

Internal/strategy questions

1. What is the intended impact of the HTA programme? How was that determined and
developed?
2. What strategy does the programme take to achieve that impact?
3. How has this changed over the last ten years?
4. How far do you think the intended impact has been achieved?
5. What particular challenges does the HTA programme face? How have these changed
over the last ten years?
6. What are the HTAs priorities looking forward? How do you/does the programme
plan to achieve them?

Academic questions

1. Have you ever applied for HTA funding? If so:

1. When and what for?
2. Can you describe the process?
3. Was the process satisfactory?
4. How did it differ from applications to other funders?
2. Have you ever been awarded HTA funding?
1. What requirements were placed on that funding?
2. What was your interaction with programme management like?
3. How did it differ from awards from other funders?
3. Would you consider applying for HTA funding (again)? Why/why not?

Political questions

1. What are the perceptions around the HTA programme in the Department of Health
and in government more widely? (Possible follow ups: Is it considered to offer good
value for money? What are the intended aims of the programme from a government
perspective? Has it made the case for its continued funding?)
2. What influence does HTA research, or the programme more widely, have on policy, if
any?
3. If it does have an influence, how does this happen? (Possible follow ups if needed:
How is the research communicated? To whom? How is it used?)

Other funder questions

1. What overlap is there between your work and the work of the HTA programme?
2. Do you communicate regularly with HTA programme management?
3. What influence, if any, does the HTA programme have on your research strategy and
portfolio?
4. What influence, if any, does the HTA programme have on your research processes?
(Examples, which could be used as prompts if necessary and relevant: Do you require
systematic reviews before conducting primary research? Are your protocols openly
published? What proportion of your research leads to a publication, including
negative results?)
5. What could the HTA programme learn from you?