Assessments

Health technology assessment (HTA) is a multidisciplinary process. It summarises the available information about the medical (clinical effectiveness and safety), social, economic (cost-effectiveness and budget impact), organisational, ethical and medico-legal issues related to the development, diffusion and use of a health technology. This is done in a systematic, transparent, unbiased and robust manner. Health technologies include pharmaceuticals, devices, diagnostics, procedures, care pathways, public health activities, as well as the systems within which health is protected and maintained.

HTA is a decision support tool. Its purpose is to inform decisions regarding the allocation of healthcare resources to enable healthcare policies that are safe, effective, patient-focussed and achieve best value. In Ireland, HTA is gaining prominence as a discipline and is increasingly used at all levels in the healthcare system to support effective decision making.

The Authority carries out HTAs and develops guidelines for the preparation of HTAs across our health system. Consistent with the Health Act, 2007 it will:

• Evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of health technologies including drugs and provide advice arising out of the evaluation to the Minister and the Executive.
• Review and make recommendations as the Authority thinks fit in respect of the services, to ensure the best outcomes for the resources available.

Health Technology Assessments

The following is a list of assessments that the Authority has completed, are in progress or planned. Please click on the links provided for further information.

Assessments in progress

Deep Brain Stimulation Service

Deep Brain Stimulation is an effective surgical treatment for a small number of patients with Parkinson’s disease, Dystonia and other movement disorders. Evidence for its use in other conditions is continuing to emerge. This stimulation of the brain may offer patients control of their symptoms, such as reducing the tremors caused by Parkinson’s disease, Dystonia and other movement disorders, and improve their quality of life.

Requested by the HSE, the assessment will focus on developing a standard for the provision of such a service in Ireland (including staffing, equipment and other resources) and will evaluate the associated costs. It will then compare these with the current arrangements where eligible patients are referred, under the Treatment Abroad Scheme, to centres outside of Ireland for the surgery.

Read the Press Release on Deep Brain Stimulation Service

Diagnostic testing options for women known to be at an increased risk of breast cancer

Following a request from the National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP), the health technology assessment will consider approaches to the management of women under the age of 50 who are known to have an increased risk of breast cancer, because of a family history or specific genetic disposition.

The technologies to be evaluated in this HTA include digital mammography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The HTA will also evaluate the age at which surveillance should commence in each of the risk groups, as well as the frequency of this surveillance.

Read the press release

Completed assessments

Health technology assessment of robot-assisted surgery in Ireland

Robot-assisted surgery is an advanced method of keyhole surgery, which is also known as minimally invasive surgery or laparoscopic surgery. The technique may have application in a wide range of surgeries, including procedures in urology, gynaecology, cardiology and diseases of the head and neck. The completed HTA report was submitted to the HSE and to the Department of Health in January 2012.

The role of human papillomavirus vaccines in reducing the risk of cervical cancer in Ireland

The purpose of this assessment was to establish the cost-effectiveness of a combined national HPV vaccination and cervical cancer screening programme compared to a cervical cancer screening programme alone.  This HTA was used to inform a decision by the Minister for Health and Children to commence a national HPV vaccination programme of 12-year-old girls in 2010.

Health technology assessment of a population-based colorectal cancer screening programme in Ireland

This HTA evaluated the cost-effectiveness, health outcomes and resource requirements of various options for a population-based colorectal cancer screening programme and was published in June 2009.

This HTA led to a subsequent request from the Minister for Health and Children to evaluate the resources assigned to the current population-based national cancer screening programmes to identify efficiencies that may be achieved within the existing models. It also evaluated colonoscopy services and associated resources within the HSE in order to support the provision of a national colorectal cancer screening programme in Ireland. This evaluation played a pivotal role in supporting the Minister’s decision in January 2010 to introduce a national population-based colorectal cancer screening programme from 2012.

Report of the evaluation of the use of resources in the national population-based cancer screening programmes and associated services

Following the publication by the Authority of a health technology assessment which estimated the cost-effectiveness , health outcomes and resource requirements of a population-based colorectal cancer screening programme, this evaluation examined the feasibility of introducing such a programme in Ireland within existing resources.

The Authority was requested by the Minister for Health and Children to evaluate the resources assigned to the current population-based national cancer screening programmes to identify efficiencies that might be achieved within the existing models. The Authority also evaluated colonoscopy services and associated resources within the HSE in order to support the provision of a national colorectal cancer screening programme in Ireland. This evaluation played a pivotal role in supporting the Minister’s decision in January 2010 to introduce a national population-based colorectal cancer screening programme from 2012.

A health technology assessment of prion filtration of red cell concentrates to reduce the risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease transmission in Ireland

Prion filtration of red cell concentrates is a newly available technique that has the potential to further reduce any remaining risk of vCJD transmission via blood transfusion by decreasing levels of prion infection in the filtered units. The HTA will inform a decision as to whether or not prion filtration of red cell concentrates should be adopted as a standard approach by the Irish Blood Transfusion Service.