Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gvvz8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-18T23:22:27.332Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

LOCAL HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT IN CANADA: CURRENT STATE AND NEXT STEPS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 August 2016

Janet Martin
Affiliation:
Centre for Medical Evidence, Decision Integrity & Clinical Impact (MEDICI), Department of Anesthesia & Perioperative Medicine, and Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, University Hospital
Julie Polisena
Affiliation:
Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health and the School of Epidemiology, Public Health, and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of [email protected]
Nandini Dendukuri
Affiliation:
Technology Assessment Unit, McGill University Health Centre, Royal Victoria Hospital Department of Medicine and Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Purvis Hall
Marc Rhainds
Affiliation:
Unité d’évaluation des technologies et modes d'intervention en santé (UETMIS)- CHU de Québec-Université Laval
Laura Sampietro-Colom
Affiliation:
HTA Unit. Hospital Clinic

Abstract

Objectives: Canada has witnessed expansion of the health technology assessment (HTA) infrastructure in the last 25 years. Local HTA entities at the hospital or regional level are emerging to assist decision makers in the acquisition, implementation, maintenance, and disinvestment of healthcare technologies. There is a need to facilitate collaboration and exchange of expertise and knowledge between these entities regarding the role of local HTA in Canada.

Methods: In November 2013, the pan-Canadian Collaborative hosted a symposium, Hospital/Regional HTA: Local Evidence-based Decisions for Health Care Sustainability, bringing together over 60 HTA producers, researchers, stakeholders, and manufacturers involved in local HTA across Canada. The objective was to showcase the diversity of local HTA in Canada, while highlighting common gaps to be addressed.

Results: The Symposium focused on current practices in local HTA in Canada to support informed decision making, and opportunities for information sharing and provide equal access to timely evidence-based information to decision makers. The main themes included assessment of evidence for local HTA, contextualization, stakeholder engagement in local HTA, knowledge translation and impact of recommendations, and challenges and opportunities for local HTA.

Conclusions: Local HTA in Canada complements HTAs conducted at the provincial and federal levels to improve the efficient and effective health service delivery in institutions or regions faced with limited resources. Some challenges faced by local HTA producers to influence hospital policies and clinical practice involve the engagement of healthcare professionals and potential lack of training and support necessary for the introduction of a new technology.

Type
Policies
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. The International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA) [Internet]. Edmonton (AB): INAHTA; c2014. HTA tools & resources: definitions; 2014. http://www.inahta.org/hta-tools-resources/ (accessed September 30, 2014).Google Scholar
2. Menon, D. Health technology assessment: The journey continues. CMAJ. 2014;187:E19.Google Scholar
3. Gagnon, MP. Hospital-based health technology assessment: Developments to date. Pharmacoeconomics. 2014;32:819824.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4. Gagnon, MP, Desmartis, M, Poder, T, Witteman, W. Effects and repercussions of local/hospital-based health technology assessment (HTA): A systematic review. Syst Rev. 2014;3:129.Google Scholar
5. Gurtner, S. Making the right decisions about new technologies: A perspective on criteria and preferences in hospitals. Health Care Manage Rev. 2014;39:245254.Google Scholar
6. Hofmann, B, Cleemput, I, Bond, K, et al. Revealing and acknowledging value judgments in health technology assessment. Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2014;30:579586.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7. Molewijk, AC, Stiggelbout, AM, Otten, W, Dupuis, HM, Kievit, J. Implicit normativity in evidence-based medicine: a plea for integrated empirical ethics research. Health Care Anal. 2003;11:6992.Google Scholar
8. The Contextualized Health Research Synthesis Program (CHRSP). Evidence in context: Health research - synthesized & contextualized for use in Newfoundland & Labrador. Contextualization in CHRSP projects [Internet]. St. John's: Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research; 2015. http://www.nlcahr.mun.ca/CHRSP/CHRSP_CONTEXT_IN_DETAIL.pdf (accessed August 14, 2015).Google Scholar
9. National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research. What is knowledge translation? [Internet]. Austin, TX: American Institutes for Research; 2005. (Focus technical brief, no.10). http://ktdrr.org/ktlibrary/articles_pubs/ncddrwork/focus/focus10/Focus10.pdf (accessed August 14, 2015).Google Scholar
10. McGregor, M. What decision-makers want and what they have been getting. Value Health. 2006;9:181185.Google Scholar
11. McGregor, M. The impact of reports the Technology Assessment Unit of the McGill University Health Care. Montreal, QC: McGill University Health Centre. Technology Assessment Unit (TAU); 2012. Report No.: 65.Google Scholar
12. Martin, J, Sampietro-Colom, L, eds. Hospital-based health technology assessment: The next frontier in HTA. London: Springer-Verlag; 2016.Google Scholar
13. Sampietro-Colom, L, Lach, K, Cicchetti, A, et al. The AdHopHTA handbook: A handbook of hospital‐based Health Technology Assessment (HB‐HTA); Public deliverable; The AdHopHTA Project (FP7/2007‐13 grant agreement nr 305018); 2015. http://www.adhophta.eu/handbook (accessed August 14, 2015).Google Scholar