The VALIDATE handbook : An approach on the integration of values in doing assessments of health technologies

Abstract

Health technology assessment (HTA) is defined as a multidisciplinary process that uses explicit methods to determine the value of a health technology at different points in its lifecycle. The purpose is to inform deci­sion-making in order to promote an equitable, efficient, and high-quality health system. The definition reflects that facts and values are intertwined in HTA.

This means that HTA should be considered as a type of policy analysis, wherein the assessment of safety, clini­cal and cost implications of health technologies, as well as their wider ethical, legal, social, organizational, en­vironmental and other implications is conducted from the view that these aspects are closely interrelated, and wherein stakeholders are involved in a more produc­tive way throughout the process of HTA. Acknowledging this holds the potential of conducting assessments of health technologies in a way that supports deliberative democratic decision making.

In the 2018-2021 EU Erasmus+ strategic partnerships project “VALues In Doing Assessments of healthcare TEchnologies” (VALIDATE), a consortium of seven aca­demic and HTA organizations have developed an ap­proach to HTA that allows for the integration of empirical analysis and normative inquiry.

The VALIDATE handbook: an approach on the integration of values in doing assessments of health technologies of­fers the reader an opportunity to get acquainted with the theoretical considerations and apprehend the asso­ciated practical and organizational implications of this approach. It offers those interested in HTA to integrate empirical analysis and normative inquiry in a transpar­ent way.