A scientific validation model for medications has existed since the 1960s, with specific regulations recognized worldwide (e.g., FDA, EMA, ANSM). A similar procedure has recently been implemented for medical devices in Europe. However, until now, no consensual model existed for nutritional, bodily, and psychosocial health services due to confusions between approach, protocol, and technique/ingredient. A participatory, pragmatic, and multidisciplinary consensus work followed international scientific health recommendations to address this for NPI (Ninot et al., 2023).

This work took into account the specificities of NPI, health risks, the balance between internal and external validity, the justification of explanatory mechanisms, ethical considerations in health, and respect for contexts of use. The NPIS Model accelerates research through the harmonization of methodological and ethical expectations in NPI. It also enhances the identification, referencing, transferability, and implementation of NPI for the benefit of user health and safety, improving the quality of training.

Ultimately, the NPIS Model distinguishes between individualized, science-based services aimed at addressing known health issues in Western medicine and occupational practices (lifestyle, art of living, work, sociocultural activity, personal development, pursuit of happiness, spiritual practice, etc.). In this sense, the model does not impede individuals' freedom to choose a particular lifestyle. It aims to address a specific health issue for an individual or a group of people within a limited timeframe and a framework regulated by the health sector. The NPIS Model encourages innovations across all other health sectors, particularly in health organizations and early identification actions for health problems.

The NPIS Model is part of the French strategy for global health research and innovation for 2023-2027. This strategy aims to address issues of equity and solidarity, increase commitment to disease prevention and health promotion, and better account for the interdependencies between climate change, ecosystem protection, and health (France Government, 2023). France has also established an Agency for Health Innovation and a €7.5 billion investment plan through 2030 (Agency for Health Innovation, 2021). The Agency aims to anticipate the impacts of innovations on the prevention and care system, foster cooperation between public and private actors, and identify research priorities (Agency for Health Innovation, 2021). This development relies on a central institution in France for research and health matters, INSERM (2024). The NPIS Model, which was created with the support of seed funding for participatory research from INSERM, facilitates the effective and rapid transfer of innovations in NPI from fundamental research to practice. The decade-long strategy for supportive care published in 2024 further amplified the need for a standardized evaluation model for NPI (France Government, 2024).

The term NPI has been used by scientists working in the health field since 1975. However, it is not the only term; other similar terms are used synonymously, especially in PubMed. There are ten English terms to describe non-pharmacological processes and twenty-eight to describe methods of operation. An exhaustive inventory of NPI on a scientific article search engine is currently impossible due to the variety of terms researchers use, each with distinct meanings: rehabilitation intervention, psychosocial intervention, mental intervention, cognitive intervention, psychological intervention, behavioral intervention, psychosomatic intervention, nutrition intervention, dietary intervention, food intervention, physical intervention, body intervention, exercise intervention, manual intervention, salutogenic intervention, natural intervention, self-help intervention, nursing intervention, therapy intervention, care intervention, disease management intervention, multimodal intervention...

A search on PubMed from August 15, 2024, indicates 55,689 articles citing the term "non-pharmacological" or its equivalent up to 2023. While these figures do not challenge the trend, they are likely underestimated due to the database's focus on health products rather than services, biological treatments over psychosocial ones, studies on North American populations, and journals published by North American organizations. This aligns with an official U.S. government site managed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information and hosted by the National Library of Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

A search on PubMed from August 15, 2024, also reveals 11,642 articles citing the term "non-pharmacological intervention" or its equivalent up to 2023. Both curves demonstrate an increase since 2000, with a notable acceleration since 2010.

The French National Authority for Health has been encouraging the use of the term NPI in health since 2011.

Immaterial practices of prevention and care have existed since ancient times. However, the diversification of practices, the multiplication of professions at the intersection of prevention, care, and social assistance, and the globalization of information systems have leveled these services and obscured them at a time when medicine has made significant advances in the early detection and diagnosis of health issues. The interdisciplinary and multisectoral approach of the NPIS generates a value chain, from the design of practices to their implementation, regulation, and financing.

Innovative economic model initiatives are emerging worldwide, including fee-for-service, bundled payments, social economy provisions, offers promoting sustainable development, e-health economy, human innovation bundles, and long-term economy (World Economic Forum, 2024). The NPIS Prospective Pole, led by Michel Noguès, documents these initiatives in books (Noguès, 2022; Noguès, 2024). The NPIS Forums invite all innovators to share their experiences.

An alliance for NPI is essential today in response to siloed proposals from various disciplines (biology, psychology, public health), professions (medical, paramedical, educational, social), sectors (prevention, care, support for autonomy, social services, education, end-of-life care, disability), and currents (traditional or scientific medicine) at both national and supranational levels. The NPIS brings together these scattered and sometimes divided stakeholders to foster better understanding, practice, and recognition of NPI. The scientific society contributes to developing an NPI ecosystem that is often overlooked. It mobilizes hundreds of professionals and users worldwide to address the public health challenges of the 21st century that are widely recognized.

It highlights essential NPI and best practices to be delivered to the right people at the right time in their journey without criticizing other health solutions. Specifically, the NPIS enables:

• Research stakeholders to develop, evaluate, and promote NPI.
• Care, prevention, and social support professionals to enhance their skills and access best practice recommendations and implementation tools for NPI.
• Health operators to choose, organize, track, consolidate, secure, and sustain investments in NPI.
• National and supranational health agencies to improve their knowledge for designing effective strategies regarding NPI.
• Governments, non-governmental organizations, user associations, and health actor federations to establish a common language within a defined scope to create just, equitable, and sustainable policies.

After establishing a standardized evaluation model, the NPIS contributes to an interprofessional, intersectoral, and bipartisan alliance in favor of NPI. Through an annual global summit, it gathers all stakeholders in the ecosystem during the third week of October, known as the NPIS Summit. This significant event discusses the economic and regulatory structuring of the ecosystem with all parties involved. The 2024 edition will take place in a highly symbolic venue, the Cité Universitaire in Paris, a quintessential humanist space open to the world, science, and peace, created between the two world wars last century. Everyone can participate and contribute to this international dynamic aimed solely at legitimizing NPI within health system offerings without disparaging other solutions. This coalition is called the NPIS Alliance.

Before evaluating an NPI, it is essential to describe it. Sometimes, health practices may involve a combination of diagnostic methods and treatments, as seen in osteopathy. An NPI is not intended to identify or diagnose a health problem; rather, it serves as a preventive or therapeutic solution to address it, sometimes in conjunction with other treatments. A common confusion lies in distinguishing between an NPI and an approach or technique. An approach is too vague and does not accurately describe the content of the NPI, while a technique is too specific, representing only one ingredient of an NPI. A prototypical study allows for the comprehensive description of all characteristics of an NPI, including its health objectives, target population, mechanisms of action, content, implementation context, and the prerequisites for the professional involved.