Case study: How Med Frontier moved from evidence gaps to a defined roadmap with the Evidence Generator Bootcamp 

Med Frontier is developing Aleph, a clinical AI tool that assists NHS Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) to identify patients with fragility fractures from radiology reports.  

The company’s Founder and CEO, Shui Liu, applied for cohort three of the DigitalHealth.London Evidence Generator Bootcamp to support strategic planning ahead of approaching NHS organisations for evaluation. Through the expert-led webinars and support, Med Frontier has developed a clear, NICE-aligned evidence generation strategy to help with future evaluation and adoption for their chosen NHS market. 

Identifying evidence gaps earlier 

Before participating in the Bootcamp, Founder and CEO Shui Liu and the wider Med Frontier team largely viewed evidence generation as a single “prove it works” challenge. While the methodology underpinning Aleph had been peer-reviewed, the company had not generated real-world evidence to demonstrate its impact in NHS settings.  

Through the Bootcamp, Shui and the team were able to identify their most significant data gaps and develop a broader understanding of the evidence required for NHS adoption. Expert guidance accessed through the Bootcamp supported the team to identify priorities for Aleph, including clinical performance, real-world effectiveness, clinical safety documentation (DCB0129), usability and health economics. It also reinforced the importance of DCB0129, and how it can help the team to demonstrate that clinical risks have been appropriately assessed and managed to support safe NHS deployment.  

Understanding real-world approaches to evidence 

Online workshops on the NICE Evidence Standards Framework (ESF), health economics and communicating evidence were particularly helpful for understanding common frameworks, which the team could use to discuss evidence priorities. This was supported by peer-learning sessions, which enabled participants to share challenges openly and problem-solve to address similar barriers. 

As well as knowledge exchange, the Bootcamp prompted Med Frontier to carry out practical steps to understand their evidence requirements. The team were asked to undertake a gap analysis against the NICE Evidence Standards Framework (NICE ESF), with support from the DigitalHealth.London team. Completing this self-assessment with input from the DigitalHealth.London team was a crucial milestone, as the company could understand how their innovation was classified.  

From here, the company were able to identify the specific evidence required for its Tier C classification, including performance, safety, real-world effectiveness and value. This was a key milestone for Shui, enabling Med Frontier to understand the evidence requirements necessary to support NHS adoption of a technology that supports clinical decision-making. 

Participants on the programme were also encouraged to consider examples of successful evidence strategy within the digital health ecosystem. Through group discussion with peers, the Med Frontier team identified and reflected on the recent positive progress from pilots of other AI-enabled technologies, such as Ambient Voice Technology (AVT) solutions. By seeing how other procurements frame real-world evidence and health economics, the team have been able to gain a deeper understanding of current buyer expectations and the iterative evidence generation journey. As a result, Med Frontier is taking forward a more structured approach to planning real-world evidence for its first evaluation site, rather than viewing a supported pilot as sufficient proof on its own. 

I would recommend the Bootcamp to digital health companies at TRL 3–5 who know evidence is the gate to NHS adoption.” 

– Shui Liu, CEO, Med Frontier

Next steps 

By taking part in the Bootcamp at this stage in their development, Med Frontier has been equipped to develop a clearer evidence generation pathway. The team has gained greater confidence in communicating evidence requirements and evaluation strategies, which will help with internal planning and external implementation conversations with NHS Trusts. 

Now, Med Frontier is planning to put this new knowledge and confidence into practice by designing an initial single-site evaluation with a pre-specified extension plan. Rather than undertaking this evaluation alone, the company is looking for an academic or NIHR-aligned partner to collaborate with, ensuring evidence generation is robust and meaningful from the beginning.  

Med Frontier is part of cohort three of the Evidence Generator Bootcamp.

The DigitalHealth.London Evidence Generator Bootcamp programme is funded by the Office for Life Sciences with a focus on signposting and supporting innovators to deliver economic growth. It is delivered by the Health Innovation Network South London.

For more information, please visit the DigitalHealth.London Evidence Generator Bootcamp webpage.