Nursing is a worldwide growing but still underdeveloped health technology assessment (HTA) field. A systematic overview about the current trends in HTA and nursing would shed some light on the issues of (i) the HTA base in this sector, and (ii) outcomes addressed with the interventions and technologies.

We conducted a scoping review using the National Health Service (NHS) Centre for Reviews and Dissemination HTA database, including all abstracts of HTA reports related to nursing. To systemize the interventions and technologies assessed in the HTA reports, we designed an International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Map connecting the targeted healthcare outcomes with the components of the ICF Classification.

We identified seventy-eight HTA reports related to nursing care, published between the years 1992 and 2018. Overall, forty-four reports did not outline any particular outcome and had to be categorized as unclear. The remaining thirty-four reports addressed three ICF components (body functions, activities/ participation, environmental factors) with sixty-eight ICF content categories. Frequent ICF contents were services, systems and policies (code e5, n = 15), cardiovascular/ respiratory functions (code b4, n = 10), mental functions (code b1, n = 7), digestive functions (code b5, n = 7), domestic life (code d6, n = 7), and sensory functions/ pain (b2, n = 6). Six HTA reports evaluated interventions/ technologies with presumed effects on at least four ICF content categories from two ICF components.

HTA in the field of nursing is often complex, including multicomponent approaches and a wide range of potential outcomes relevant for the HTA assessment. The ICF model might be useful to support a more streamlined understanding of complex interventions in this sector. Furthermore, reports might benefit from linking the ICF Classification with HTA, especially for the assessment of complex interventions.