Health technology assessment collaborations

Health technology assessment (HTA) as a discipline has shown remarkable growth since its initial establishment in the US and Sweden in the 1970s and 1980s. HTA, which initially focussed on clinical and cost-effectiveness, has also taken on broader issues, such as organisational, social, and ethical implications. In the Member States of the European Union (EU), HTA activities are increasingly visible, and almost all now have a national agency for HTA or its equivalent.

With the establishment of such agencies around the world, it is apparent that there are tremendous advantages to be gained from collaborations – the healthcare issues and problems and the timing of technology entry tend to be similar in many countries. Very useful information can be shared relating to clinical effectiveness and epidemiological aspects. 

International collaboration may lead to standardised methodologies. It also harnesses international expertise and experience and thereby enhances the efficiency and quality of the Authority’s HTAs and outputs.

International collaborations in HTA include:

EUnetHTA

The EUnetHTA Joint Action is an EU-funded project established to create an effective and sustainable network for HTA across Europe. The Joint Action aims to develop and implement practical tools to provide reliable, timely, transparent, and transferable information to contribute to HTAs in Members States.

  • The strategic objectives of the EUnetHTA Joint Action are to:
  • reduce duplication of effort
  • promote more effective use of resources
  • increase HTA input to decision making in Member States and the EU
  • increase the impact of HTA
  • strengthen the link between HTA and healthcare policy making in the EU and its Member States and
  • support countries with limited experience in HTA

The original EUnetHTA Project, with specific work elements broadly divided into eight work packages, continued from 2006 to 2008. In 2009, the EU approved the extension of the project as a Joint Action for a further three years to run from 2010-2012. Ireland is represented on this project by the Health Information and Quality Authority.

EuroScan  

EuroScan   is the International Information Network on New and Emerging Health Technologies. It is a collaborative network of member agencies that exchanges information on important emerging new drugs, devices, procedures, programmes, and settings in health care. It aims to support a permanent network among agencies and organisations involved in early awareness and alert activities to:

  • exchange information on new and emerging health technologies
  • evaluate the sources of information used for identification
  • share applied methods for identification, filtration, prioritisation and early assessment
  • disseminate information on early identification and assessment activities.

HTAi

HTAi represents one of the first international collaborations in HTA, providing a “global forum for the exchange of information, methods and expertise”. This organisation also produces theInternational Journal of Technology Assessment in Healthcare which is published quarterly.

The Authority was delighted to host the annual scientific meeting of HTAi in Dublin in June 2010. This event attracted some 1,200 delegates to Dublin over a four day period, and was highly successful.

INAHTA

INAHTA is the International Network of Agencies in Health Technology Assessment. It has 50 members from 26 countries. The network aims to accelerate exchange and collaboration among agencies. It promotes information sharing and comparison and prevent unnecessary duplication of activities. Its key communication form is the Internet, and information is published as:

  • “the Briefs series” – a forum for member agencies to present overviews of recently published reports
  • HTA checklists – an aid to furthering a consistent and transparent approach to HTA. They also provide information on the purpose, methods, and contents of an HTA report.
  • Joint projects -member agencies in collaborative efforts to evaluate medical technologies of mutual interest.