Health technology assessment
1477-7274
Abstract
Health technology assessment (HTA) provides information about the effectiveness, costs and broader impact of health technologies to those who plan, administer or receive care in the national health system. ''Technology'' includes all interventions used to promote health, prevent and treat disease, and improve rehabilitation and long-term care. An HTA program addresses the questions to which patients and the national health systems need answers, by investigating four main factors: whether the technology (intervention) works, for whom and at what cost, and how it compares with alternatives. Health technology assessment is not simply another kind of research. It has a number of key features that are critical to its ongoing impact and distinguish it from research: it is policy oriented, it is interdisciplinary in its content and procedures, it summarizes information from databases/reviews and sometimes produces original data; moreover, those engaged in health technology assessment recognize the importance of disseminating and communicating the information acquired. Health technology assessment constitutes a bridge between the world of research and the world of decision-making, particularly policy-making, in health care.