Ethical perspectives on health technology assessment

2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henk ten Have
Keyword(s):  
Health Technology Assessment ◽  
Technology Assessment ◽  
Medical Technology ◽  
Health Technology ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Engineering Model ◽  
Ethical Aspects ◽  
A Value ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
A Minor

This study analyses why ethical aspects play a minor role in health technology assessment (HTA) studies, even when comprehensive approaches of technology assessment are advocated. Technology is often regarded as a value-neutral tool. At the same time, bioethics is dominated by an engineering model. Ethical contributions to evaluation of medical technology should go beyond issues of application in clinical practice and focus also on the definition of problems, the demarcation of technical and nontechnical issues, and the morally problematic implications of technologies.

scholarly journals Announcing the New Definition of Health Technology Assessment

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 824-825
Author(s):  
Brian O’Rourke ◽  
Wija Oortwijn ◽  
Tara Schuller
Keyword(s):  
Health Technology Assessment ◽  
Technology Assessment ◽  
Health Technology ◽  
Definition Of Health ◽  
Definition Of

Redefining health technology assessment in Canada: Diversification of products and contextualization of findings

2004 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 325-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascale Lehoux ◽  
Stéphanie Tailliez ◽  
Jean-Louis Denis ◽  
Myriam Hivon
Keyword(s):  
Health Technology Assessment ◽  
Technology Assessment ◽  
Chief Executive Officers ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Health Technology ◽  
Scientific Journals ◽  
Informational Basis ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Executive Officers

Objectives:While strategies for enhancing the dissemination and impact of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) are now being increasingly examined, the characteristics of HTA production have received less attention.Methods:This study presents the results of a content analysis of the HTA documents (n=187) produced by six Canadian agencies from 1995 to 2001, supplemented by interviews with chief executive officers and researchers (n=40). The goal of this analysis was to characterize the agencies' portfolios and to analyze the challenges these agencies face in responding to the increased demand for HTA.Results:On average, thirty HTA products were issued annually by the agencies. While the bulk of documents produced were full HTA reports (76 percent), two agencies showed significant diversification in their products. Three agencies in particular actively supported the publication of results in scientific journals. Three agencies showed evidence of adapting to different institutional environments by specializing in certain areas (drugs, health services). Overall, a significant portion of the agencies' HTAs contained data on costs (37 percent) and effectiveness (48 percent), whereas ethical and social issues were rarely addressed (17 percent). Most agencies addressed issues and outcomes that did not strictly fall under the typical definition of HTA but that increased the “contextualization” of their findings.Conclusions:Our discussion highlights four paradoxes and reflects further on challenges raised by the coordination of HTA within large countries and among European states. This study concludes that HTA is being redefined in Canada as HTA agencies offer a more contextualized informational basis, an approach that may prove more compatible with the increased demand for HTA.

scholarly journals THE VULNERABLE ASPECTS OF APPLICATION OF “HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT”

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reza Dehnavieh ◽  
Somayeh Noori Hekmat ◽  
Sara Ghasemi ◽  
Nadia Mirshekari
Keyword(s):  
Health Technology Assessment ◽  
Technology Assessment ◽  
Health Technology ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Economic Outcomes ◽  
The Other ◽  
Ethical Aspects ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The World

Many countries in the world have tried to examine the possible methods for import and logical use of health technologies to manage their budgets on one hand and to prevent the entry of uncertain, inefficient, and insecure technologies on the other hand (1). The “health technology assessment” (HTA) is one of the dominant methods in most developed countries (2). HTA is a multidisciplinary field which studies the medical, social, and ethical aspects, as well as economic outcomes of production, diffusion, and application of health technologies (3).

Evidence-Based Practice Center network and health technology assessment in the United States: Bridging the cultural gap

2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Sarría-Santamera ◽  
David B. Matchar ◽  
Emma V. Westermann-Clark ◽  
Meenal B. Patwardhan
Keyword(s):  
Health Technology Assessment ◽  
Technology Assessment ◽  
Evidence Based Practice ◽  
Health Technology ◽  
The United States ◽  
Healthcare Research ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Is Integration ◽  
Definition Of

Objectives:The purpose of this study was to identify the Evidence-Based Practice Center (EPC) network participants' perceptions of the characteristics of the EPC process and the relationship of the process to the success of EPC reports.Methods:Semistructured interviews were conducted with the three groups involved in the EPC: EPC staff, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) staff, and representatives of partner organizations.Results:The analysis of the coded transcripts revealed three related major themes, which form the conceptual basis for the interpretation presented here: the definition of a successful report, the determinants of a successful report, and the role of AHRQ in the process.Conclusions:A successful report is a report that is used. The ultimate success of the core health technology assessment objective, moving from research to policy, depends on balancing two values: excellence and relevance. Our findings are consistent with the “two communities thesis,” which postulates the existence of two camps that confer different values to excellence and relevance, with resulting tension. A promising model for approaching this tension is integration or collaboration, which requires linking researchers and policy makers, promoting productive dialogues about the formulation and timing of analysis, and early consideration of how the resulting analysis will be used. This effort suggests that actively blurring the frontiers between these two groups will enhance their interaction. Furthermore, enhancing the role of the AHRQ as scientific broker will maximize the potential of the EPC network.

Defining capacity building in the context of HTA: a proposal by the HTAi Scientific Development and Capacity Building Committee

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 362-366 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franz Pichler ◽  
Wija Oortwijn ◽  
Alric Ruether ◽  
Rebecca Trowman
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Health Technology Assessment ◽  
Interest Groups ◽  
Capacity Building ◽  
Technology Assessment ◽  
Health Technology ◽  
Scientific Development ◽  
Multiple Stakeholders ◽  
Building Activities ◽  
Definition Of

AbstractObjectivesTo develop a definition of “capacity building” relevant to Health Technology Assessment international (HTAi).MethodsA review of capacity building activities undertaken by HTAi members, members of the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA), and regional HTA networks was compared against general literature on capacity building definitions and frameworks. The findings were reviewed by the HTAi Scientific Development and Capacity Building Committee. Furthermore, the Executive Committee and Interest Groups of HTAi provided input on the draft final paper.ResultsThe literature demonstrated the need for a definition of capacity building specific to HTA. In the context of HTAi, it was necessary for the definition to cover (i) the broadest range of HTA-related activities, (ii) multiple stakeholders involved in the HTA process, and (iii) the spectrum of activities that compose capacity building. We propose the following definition of HTA capacity building: The process by which individuals and organizations develop or strengthen abilities related to understanding, providing input to, conducting, or utilizing HTA for health policy and decision making, as well as, developing awareness and support in the environment within which HTA is being used.ConclusionA definition of HTA-related capacity building that was intended to provide clarity about what this term means to HTAi was developed. As HTA is context-dependent, a need for further work to develop an operationalization “menu” relevant to the specific needs in which HTA is being used was identified.

OP305 A Systematic Approach To Include Ethical Aspects In Health Technology Assessments – Experiences And Evaluation

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (S1) ◽  
pp. 11-11
Author(s):  
Karin Willbe Ramsay
Keyword(s):  
Health Technology Assessment ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Technology Assessment ◽  
Systematic Approach ◽  
Health Technology ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Ethical Framework ◽  
Systematic Evaluation ◽  
Ethical Aspects ◽  
Ethical Content

IntroductionThe Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services (SBU) is commissioned to assess ethical aspects in their health technology assessment (HTA) reports, in addition to effects and health economic aspects of the examined interventions. For this purpose, a framework for systematic evaluation of ethical aspects of healthcare technologies has been developed and used at SBU since 2014. With seven years of practice, we decided it was time to evaluate experiences from using the ethical framework and consider possible adjustments to improve future use.MethodsSBU reports in the time period 2014–2020 were systematically screened for ethical content. Focus group meetings with users of the framework (mainly HTA project managers) were held where opinions regarding usability and possible obstacles were collected. A revised version of the document was sent for consultation to relevant stakeholders (possible users, reviewers and recipients) in order to collect additional views.ResultsOf fifty-eight HTA reports produced in the time frame, ethical aspects were evaluated in fifty-five reports (ninety-five percent), and in most cases, the framework had been used as support. In twenty-one cases (thirty-six percent), a professional ethicist had been engaged in the work. In twelve cases (twenty-one percent), ethical aspects were presented in the main conclusions of the report. Opinions from users and reviewers revealed that the framework was generally regarded as a helpful tool, but problems regarding interpretation of specific questions were highlighted and subjected to revision.ConclusionsThe ethical framework is a valuable tool for systematic and transparent identification and discussion of ethical aspects in the HTA context, and it has been well implemented at SBU. A systematic approach to assess ethical aspects can facilitate the communication and dissemination of ethical aspects as principal results from the HTA project.

Commentary on the article “Key principles for the improved conduct of health technology assessments for resource allocation decisions”

2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (03) ◽  
pp. 366-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duncan Neuhauser
Keyword(s):  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Health Technology Assessment ◽  
Technology Assessment ◽  
Health Technology ◽  
To Come ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Allocation Decisions ◽  
Resource Allocation Decisions

“Key principles for the improved conduct of health technology assessment for resource allocation decisions.” The title says it all. I am amazed that such a summary is even possible and that it defines this field so well. Perhaps this report will be cited for years to come as the best and central definition of HTA. A field like this can be defined in other ways.

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