Designed to bridge the gap between health research and policy-making, Health Technology Assessment (HTA) has emerged as a tool to aid decision-makers in the financing and organisation of health systems. EPHA has produced a Briefing on HTA to highlight some of the key issues related to HTA.
Following the Article 15 provision of the Cross-border Patients’ Rights Directive, the interest in HTA and its political implications at EU level is growing. Earlier this year, the European Commission also launched a consultation on specific elements of the voluntary network provided for in the Directive.
HTA is the systematic, broad-ranging evaluation of using technologies within a particular health system. This encompasses almost every aspect of the healthcare system, including drugs, medical devices (see also the EPHA Briefing on the Revision of the Medical Devices Directive), and procedures, as well as organisational and supportive systems.
In line with the shift towards evidence-based medicine and the European focus on health system innovation, HTA takes account not just of cost and efficacy, but of relevant social, ethical and economic implications that are equally important from a public health perspective in order to avoid health inequalities and support the health of the entire population. Of particular value for decisions affecting areas such as clinical trials and rare diseases, HTA is a policy-orientated tool that can support health system decision-making. This is becoming all the more important in times where austerity measures are triggering health system budget cuts.
EPHA Briefing on Health Technology Assessment looks at some important points related to their growing use, such as questions surrounding effective cross-border coordination and practicality, methodology, stakeholder involvement and the pros and cons of HTA.
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