International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care最新文献

Objectives: New technologies are being developed in a context of scarcity. Health technology assessment (HTA) aims to support decision makers in providing equitable and affordable access to effective innovations. This study aims to summarize the policy-related findings of a Horizon2020 project on innovating HTA methods and discuss their implications for the governance of HTA in Europe.

Methods: A thematic analysis of policy-oriented papers (n = 18) from the Next Generation Health Technology Assessment (HTx) project was carried out to summarize challenges and solutions. Subsequently, via an online survey and in a 2-day meeting, European and global stakeholders (n = 21) were invited to comment on these solutions and to prioritize future strategies.

Results: Reported challenges included a lack of access to standardized data, differences in evidentiary needs, existing policy structures, and a lack of capacity and knowledge. Suggested solutions were capacity building, national and international dialogues, standardization, and increased European collaboration. Stakeholders had different expectations with respect to the likely success of these solutions.

Conclusion: Innovation of HTA requires alignment of evidentiary needs through dialogues, standardization through increased European collaboration, and capacity building. However, without additional investments in personnel capacity, HTA agencies must still prioritize some activities at the expense of others. Furthermore, although European collaboration is important, global alignment might be required to enforce standardization.

Introduction: Many European countries independently conduct horizon scanning activities. However, the costs, time, and resources required can be prohibitive. To address this, the International Horizon Scanning Initiative (IHSI) was launched in 2019. IHSI aims to facilitate decision-makers and payers in negotiating fair prices and preparing for potentially disruptive pharmaceuticals. IHSI developed the Joint Horizon Scanning Database, a repository of pharmaceuticals expected to enter the European market, and initiated a series of High Impact Reports (HIRs) to highlight pharmaceuticals that have the potential to significantly impact healthcare systems. This paper outlines the development of key performance indicators (KPIs) that can be used to evaluate IHSI's work.

Results: In close collaboration with representatives from IHSI member countries and its Executive Committee, the following KPIs were developed: "Number of IHSI member countries", "Embedding of IHSI in national health technology assessment procedures", "Database coverage", "Data completeness", "Data timeliness", "Accuracy of identifying disruptive pharmaceuticals", "Accuracy of identifying non-disruptive pharmaceuticals", "Use of HIRs in preparing for disruption to the healthcare system", and "Use of HIRs in price negotiations and financial arrangements". Among these, "Accuracy of identifying disruptive pharmaceuticals" was considered most important, followed by "Data timeliness" and "Data completeness". Additionally, based on consultations with nonmember countries, strategies for improvement were identified should the KPIs reveal areas for improvement. These include involving patients in the selection of pharmaceuticals and conducting reputation surveys alongside measuring KPIs. While the KPIs and strategies for improvement are specific to IHSI, they can be tailored to support other (international) horizon scanning initiatives.

Background: Few studies report the evaluation of the use of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) organizations' knowledge products.

Objectives: To determine (a) the stakeholders' use of the products disseminated by the 'Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux' (INESSS), and (b) the variability of use according to user characteristics and product properties.

Methods: A prospective web survey was performed. We included all participants who accessed INESSS products and voluntarily completed an online questionnaire from 1 January 2021, to 31 December 2022. For each rated product, the participants' use and intention to use were documented using the content-validated Information Assessment Method (IAM) questionnaire. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted.

Results: A total of 7041 responses were gathered. After removing incomplete and ineligible responses, we were left with 5236 responses; 74.4 percent of responses were from women; 5014 (95.8 percent) reported that the product was relevant; of those, 4322 (82.5 percent) indicated that the respondent was satisfied; of those, 4096 (78.2 percent) reported that the product was used or had an intention to use the product. Regarding products' use (n = 3023; 57.7 percent), there was no difference between regions with versus without medical faculties. Older participants were less likely to report using a product. Products with recommendations were more likely to be used, and healthcare professionals were more likely to use the products compared to other participants.

Conclusions: Current findings help identify audiences for targeted dissemination, guide user engagement strategies, and inform product refinement. Recommendation-containing products show the greatest uptake, particularly among younger professionals.