NICE guidance on MIST Therapy System - Now available

NICE published their guidance on MIST Ultrasound Therapy System on the 27th of July 2011 stating “The MIST Therapy system shows potential to enhance the healing of chronic, ‘hard-to-heal’, complex wounds, compared with standard methods of wound management.”

MIST Ultrasound Therapy clinical evidence and cost effectiveness data was presented to NICE and from the 199 papers they cite 2 RCTs and 8 peer reviewed articles. The full guidance document may be downloaded here.

The NICE committee recognised that the quality of evidence in the area of wound care is generally low and chronic wounds pose a challenge stating the evidence for “the MIST Therapy System was equal to or better than evidence for many other wound care interventions in current use” and “wished to give strong encouragement to further research the use of MIST Therapy system”.

The guidance document notes “exclusion from the cost model of amputation and other procedures with substantial long-term cost implications meant that cost savings of the MIST Therapy system were potentially underestimated”.

The Committee also noted that patients reported a “reduction in pain and an improvement in health following MIST Therapy”

NICE also intends to develop tools, including audit criteria, in association with relevant stakeholders to help organisations put this guidance into practice.