Amrita Institute of Medical Science is organising first International Fellowship on Health Technology Assessment from December 9-16, 2012. It is being organised in association with Joanna Briggs Institute of Evidence Based Medicine, University of Adelaide, Australia and faculty from University of Toronto as well as University of Liverpool. IIT Madras is the technical collaborator for the event.
The Fellowship is empanelled with NABH. Experienced international and national faculty have agreed to participate and share their expertise during this week long international fellowship programme, which is first of its kind in the country. The objective behind organising this fellowship was to impart training to the future torch bearers of healthcare professionals on the basics of impact assessment (IA) in selection and use of health technologies by methodological approach, systematic reviews to measure clinical effectiveness, economic modelling and harm-benefit assessment through an integrated patient safety approach.
Health technology assessment (HTA) is a multidisciplinary activity that systematically examines the safety, clinical efficacy and effectiveness, cost, cost-effectiveness, organisational implications, social consequences, legal and ethical considerations of the application of a health technology—usually a drug, medical device or clinical/surgical procedure. It acts as ‘a bridge’ between evidence and policy-making and seeks to provide healthcare policy-makers with accessible, useable and evidence-based information to guide their decisions about the appropriate use of technology and the efficient allocation of resources.
Rationale for HTA
The cost of new technologies, the allocation of available resources and the ethical questions involved are topics of major concern to policy makers, health care practitioners, and researchers.
Technologies examined at HTA
- Medical and surgical procedures and other interventions and techniques
- Devices, drugs, instruments, and other equipment
- Structure and organisation of healthcare services
- Supportive services to the healthcare processes
Importance of HTA to healthcare decision-makers
In contrast to the licensing processes for drugs and medical devices, which assess quality, safety and efficacy, HTA focuses on ‘the value’ (clinical and economic) of the technology relative to current (or best) clinical practice—the so-called ‘fourth hurdle’.
What are the goals?
Ultimate aim: Potentiate the capacity of a health system to reach its goals
- Respond to people’s expectations by providing high quality essential services on the basis of efficacy effectiveness cost and social responsibility
- Provide financial protection against the cost of ill health
- Improve the health of the population it serves
HTA broadly focuses on two questions:
- Clinical effectiveness: how do the health outcomes of the technology compare with available treatment alternatives?
- Cost-effectiveness: Are these improvements in health outcomes commensurate with the additional costs of the technology. HTA can help policy-makers decide which technologies are effective and which are not, and define the most appropriate indications for their use. HTA can reduce or eliminate interventions that are unsafe and ineffective, or whose cost is too high compared with the benefits. That said, to date, most international HTA activity has been directed at quantifying the use of new and expensive pharma products.
Technology is a key driver of healthcare costs. Health technology assessment (HTA) plays an essential role in modern health care by supporting effective decision making in health care policy and practice. There is a vibrant and growing community around the world of those who undertake and use HTA. HTA’s mission is to support their work in promoting the introduction of effective innovations and effective use of resources in healthcare.
Specific parameters
- Technical properties and safety
- Efficacy/ effectiveness
- Efficiency (cost effectiveness; cost benefit)
- Impact on health system: health related, organisational and economic
- Social acceptability (Ethical and social aspects)
Contact Details:
Dr Sanjeev Singh
Organising Secretary
HTA & Medical Superintendent
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences
Tel: (0484) 6681234 (Extn. 1836/ 1835)
Email: sanjeevksingh@aims.amrita.edu / htafellowship@aims.amrita.edu
Website: www.aimshospital.org