An early economic evaluation to inform the translation into clinical practice of a spectroscopic liquid biopsy for the detection of brain cancer. Two specific aims are (1) to update an existing economic model with results from a prospective study of diagnostic accuracy and (2) to explore the potential of brain tumor-type predictions to affect patient outcomes and healthcare costs.

A cost-effectiveness analysis from a UK NHS perspective of the use of spectroscopic liquid biopsy in primary and secondary care settings, as well as a cost–consequence analysis of the addition of tumor-type predictions was conducted. Decision tree models were constructed to represent simplified diagnostic pathways. Test diagnostic accuracy parameters were based on a prospective validation study. Four price points (GBP 50-200, EUR 57-228) for the test were considered.

In both settings, the use of liquid biopsy produced QALY gains. In primary care, at test costs below GBP 100 (EUR 114), testing was cost saving. At GBP 100 (EUR 114) per test, the ICER was GBP 13,279 (EUR 15,145), whereas at GBP 200 (EUR 228), the ICER was GBP 78,300 (EUR 89,301). In secondary care, the ICER ranged from GBP 11,360 (EUR 12,956) to GBP 43,870 (EUR 50,034) across the range of test costs.

The results demonstrate the potential for the technology to be cost-effective in both primary and secondary care settings. Additional studies of test use in routine primary care practice are needed to resolve the remaining issues of uncertainty—prevalence in this patient population and referral behavior.

The implementation of the electronic prescribing system follows certain objectives, and users’ perspectives can contribute to understanding the efficiency and effectiveness of this system. This study aimed to evaluate physicians’ perspectives on the efficiency and effectiveness of the electronic prescribing system.

This study was conducted on all physicians using the electronic prescribing system in clinics and hospitals affiliated with the treatment deputy of the Social Security Organization (SSO) in Sistan and Baluchistan Province in Iran. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire containing three sections: (i) Six items related to demographic data and clinical experience, (ii) Specific questions based on a five-point Likert scale-related physicians’ perspectives about efficiency (19 questions) and effectiveness (13 questions), and (iii) Open-ended questions about the positive and negative aspects of using the electronic prescribing system.

The mean and standard deviation of the efficiency and effectiveness of the electronic prescribing system were 3.68 ± 0.67 and 3.84 ± 0.65, respectively. Patient safety had the highest mean score among all dimensions (4.0 ± 0.64). Most participants (n = 55, 79%) considered the efficiency and effectiveness of this system high. More than 90 percent of the physicians (n = 63) believed that the electronic prescribing system enables a better medication prescription by providing alerts and access to patients’ medication history.

The findings showed that most physicians believed that the electronic prescribing system of Iran's SSO has high efficiency and effectiveness. In particular, physicians believed that using this system improves patient safety and reduces costs.

In 2017, The French National Authority for Health (HAS) created an open, online, systematic contribution process to enable patient and consumer groups (PCGs) to contribute to health technology assessment (HTA) carried out to aid public authorities in reimbursement and pricing decision making.

This retrospective study analyzes how French PCGs contributed to the HTA process within the HAS for the first 2 years of this new mechanism.

PCG contributions received between 01 January 2017 and 31 December 2018 and the recording of deliberations leading to reports of the corresponding HTAs were included. Analysis grids were designed by the investigators with 5 rounds of refinement tests on 10 random PCG contributions and the reports. Systematic data extraction was then performed separately by two investigators. PCG answers to the open-question templates and the related final HTA report published by the HAS were analyzed.

Seventy-nine contributions from 44 PCGs were received and analyzed by the HAS for 78 out of the 592 HTAs performed for drugs or medical devices during the 2-year period. Twenty-five percent of the HTAs performed for drugs received at least one contribution. The contributions covered quality-of-life aspects, access to care, and personal and family impact. Membership and budget of the contributing PCGs varied greatly.

The experience gained in the first 2 years demonstrates the feasibility of the process and the fact that PCG contribution actually provides relevant input on the patient perspective for HTAs used for reimbursement decisions. The challenges identified on the side of PCGs were time constraints and human resources.

To develop an international template to support patient submissions in Health Technology Assessments (HTAs). This was to be based on the experience and feedback from the implementation and use of the Scottish Medicines Consortium's (SMC) Summary Information for Patient Groups (SIP).

To gather feedback on the SMC experience, web-based surveys were conducted with pharmaceutical companies and patient groups familiar with the SMC SIP. Semistructured interviews with representatives from HTA bodies were undertaken, along with patient group discussions with those less familiar with the SIP, to explore issues around the approach. These qualitative data informed the development of an international SIP template.

Survey data indicated that 82 percent (18 of 22 respondents) of pharmaceutical company representatives felt that the SIP was worthwhile; 88 percent (15/17) of patient group respondents found the SIP helpful. Both groups highlighted the need for additional support and guidance around plain language summaries. Further suggestions included provision of a glossary of terms and cost-effectiveness information. Patient group interviews supported the survey findings and led to the development of a new template. HTA bodies raised potential challenges around buy-in, timing, and bias connected to the SIP approach.

The international SIP template is another approach to support deliberative processes in HTA. Although challenges remain around writing summaries for lay audiences, along with feasibility considerations for HTA bodies, the SIP approach should support more meaningful patient involvement in HTAs.

Evidence syntheses of all types have their foundation in literature searches. Literature searching is developing in line with the growing use of evidence synthesis and is also informed, as a field of work, by the spirit of being evidence-based. Increasing numbers of research papers about information retrieval are being published, and keeping up to date with the latest developments in this ever more wide-ranging field is demanding.

Summarized Research in Information Retrieval for HTA (SuRe Info) is a Web site (http://www.sure-info.org) that summarizes research-based information on effective and efficient evidence identification for the different aspects of health technology assessment (HTA) and evidence synthesis. This paper describes the rationale, processes, and challenges of producing SuRe Info and insights into the pace of development in the field of evidence-based information retrieval. The paper also provides scenarios suggesting how SuRe Info can help searchers in their daily work and with specific questions.

SuRe Info currently comprises seventeen chapters, falling into two categories: (i) chapters about general search methods relating to all types of research and (ii) chapters summarizing the methods to use when searching for specific aspects of HTA (as defined in the HTA Core Model® by the European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA)).

SuRe Info is not a substitute for methods handbooks, but by providing an overview of current research evidence for major issues in information retrieval in HTA, it helps searchers in this field to keep abreast of the latest research.

This article aims to provide a brief review of information retrieval and hospital-based health technology assessment (HB-HTA) and describe library experiences and working methods at a regional HB-HTA center from the center's inception to the present day.

For this brief literature review, searches in PubMed and LISTA were conducted to identify studies reporting on HB-HTA and information retrieval. The description of the library's involvement in the HTA center and its working methods is based on the authors’ experience and internal and/or unpublished documents.

Region Västra Götaland is the second largest healthcare region in Sweden and has had a regional HB-HTA center since 2007 (HTA-centrum). Assessments are performed by clinicians supported by HTA methodologists. The medical library at Sahlgrenska University Hospital works closely with HTA-centrum, with one HTA librarian responsible for coordinating the work.

In the literature on HB-HTA, we found limited descriptions of the role librarians and information specialists play in different units. The librarians at HTA-centrum play an important role, not only in literature searching but also in abstract and full-text screening.

To describe the establishment of, and assess the implementation of, a hospital-based health technology assessment (HTA) program in a comprehensive cancer center in Jordan.

This is a cross-sectional assessment study of the HTA program from 2008 to 2018. We used an indicator-based assessment that included structural, process, and outcome indicators. Structural indicators measured the program's enablers. Process indicators measured activities and outputs, whereas outcome indicators measured the program impact. A data collection form was prepared to collect data related to each indicator.

The program met its core structural and process indicators. The Center for Drug Policy and Technology Assessment was established as an organizational entity to conduct assessments. A functional decision-making entity is available. There are competent pharmacists to conduct assessments, including economic evaluation and decision analytical modeling. There is a structured capacity building program that has been implemented within the last 5 years. Specific submission, assessment, and appraisal processes were established and implemented. Reference methodological guidelines for efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness assessments were developed and used by assessors. Thirty-one HTA reports were produced from 2012 to 2018 with a 100 percent utilization rate. Twenty-three medications were listed under restriction, and eight were rejected. The prices of twenty-one medications out of the twenty-three listed medications were reduced based on the HTA assessment results.

The HTA program at the King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) in Jordan is functional, is effective with a high utilization rate of produced assessments, and is having a positive impact on price reductions.

Methodologies of health technology assessment (HTA) for medical technologies are well established; yet, operational frameworks that enable appropriate uptake of HTA recommendations into routine clinical practice are lacking. This review aims to identify the key themes needed to guide the planning and implementation of HTA subsidy decisions for medical technologies such as diagnostics, medical devices, and services and to monitor their impact on a complex multipayer healthcare system like Singapore.

A literature search of implementation frameworks was conducted up to 20 December 2020 and was documented in a flow diagram. A thematic analysis of the evidence base was performed using the Braun and Clark approach to identify key themes, from which an implementation framework suitable for Singapore's healthcare system could be developed.

The searches yielded forty-four articles for review, from which twenty themes were identified. The top ten themes constituted the key themes of implementation essential for local adaptation and were categorized into five domains: implementation strategy, organizational support, stakeholder engagement, information dissemination, and implementation outcomes and evaluation. These domains provide operational guidance to methodically identify gaps to facilitate sustainable implementation of HTA-informed medical technology subsidy decisions.

A robust and adaptable implementation of HTA-informed subsidy decisions is crucial to optimize its intended impact of improving patient outcomes per dollar spent. The key themes of an implementation framework should capture the important aspects of organizational feasibility to ensure successful adoption in a complex multipayer healthcare system like Singapore.

The European Network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) was established in 2006 and comprises over eighty organizations from thirty European countries. In its fifth project phase (Joint Action 3), EUnetHTA set up a quality management system (QMS) to improve the efficiency and standardization of joint work. This article presents EUnetHTA's new QMS and outlines experiences and challenges during its implementation.

Several working groups defined processes and methods to support assessment teams in creating high-quality assessment reports. Existing guidelines, templates, and tools were refined and missing parts were newly created and integrated into the new QMS framework. EUnetHTA has contributed to Health Technology Assessment (HTA) capacity building through training and knowledge sharing. Continuous evaluation helped to identify gaps and shortcomings in processes and structures.

Based on a common quality management concept and defined development and revision procedures, twenty-seven partner organizations jointly developed and maintained around forty standard operating procedures and other components of the QMS. All outputs were incorporated into a web-based platform, the EUnetHTA Companion Guide, which was launched in May 2018. Concerted efforts of working groups were required to ensure consistency and avoid duplication.

With the establishment of a QMS for jointly produced assessment reports, EUnetHTA has taken a significant step toward a sustainable model for scientific and technical collaboration within European HTA. However, the definition of processes and methods meeting the numerous requirements of healthcare systems across Europe remains an ongoing and challenging task.

To estimate the cost of metastatic prostate cancer (mPC) treatment using the time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) method from the perspective of a philanthropic hospital in the Brazilian public health system (PHS) and to identify determinants of costs.

We used data from patients who received docetaxel chemotherapy in the Brazilian PHS from September 2012 to May 2017. Direct medical costs were estimated with the TDABC microcosting method, taking into account the multiple departments and services the patients interacted with during their oncological treatment.

The median overall survival of the forty-three patient sample was 1.8 years (95% CI 1.45–2.30), and the total cost of the sample was BRL 917.005 (USD 250,878). The median monthly cost per patient was BRL 20.201 (USD 5,526). The end-of-life cost per patient using the TDABC method was BRL 5.151 (USD 1,409). Patients who had received previous treatment at the center registered the lowest cost for hospitalizations and exams, suggesting an opportunity to better manage healthcare resources.

This is the first study on the economic burden of mPC in the Brazilian PHS using the TDABC costing evaluation method. Accurate cost information obtained with the TDABC can be helpful in guiding disease management to guarantee better use of ever-scarcer resources.