FAQ
What is a Health Technology Assessment?
A Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is an evaluation of the clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and broader impact of drugs, medical technologies, and health systems, both on patient health and the health care system. During the assessment, data from research studies and other scientific sources are systematically gathered, analyzed, and interpreted. The findings from this process are then summarized in reports that translate scientific data into information that is relevant to decision making.
What is health technology?
Health technology includes any method or intervention that is used to promote health; prevent, diagnose, or treat disease; or improve rehabilitation and long-term care. Technologies include drugs, devices, diagnostic agents, equipment, and medical and surgical procedures. The definition also includes organizational and service systems that provide health care, such as telehealth.
What is the purpose of Health Technology Assessment?
The primary purpose of HTA is to support and inform those who make decisions about health policy and purchasing, service management, and clinical practice. HTA provides decision makers with credible, impartial, and evidence-based information on health technologies from their development through to their maturity and obsolescence.
How are topics proposed and selected?
Anyone can propose a topic for assessment through CADTH’s web site. Topic suggestions are received from Canadian policy makers; medical directors and managers; health care providers; professional associations; and the public. Topics may also be identified though CADTH’s Horizon Scanning Service. Proposed topics are filtered and prioritized with assistance from our Advisory Committee on Pharmaceuticals and the Devices and Systems Advisory Committee. The selected topics usually are of national interest to the publicly funded health care system. There is also a commitment to use the information from the report to support decisions about health policy and purchasing, service management, and clinical practice.
How is a Health Technology Assessment done?
Once a health technology assessment topic has been selected, and specific research questions have been clearly defined, a multidisciplinary team of researchers is assembled to collect, synthesize, and analyze available evidence on the technology. The well defined and transparent assessment process is designed to minimize potential bias, and includes a detailed description of the scientific methodology used. The findings of the assessment are summarized in a detailed report, which translates scientific data and research results into information that is relevant to health care decision makers. The report is extensively peer reviewed by leading scientific experts from the academic and medical communities. The final step in the health technology assessment process is dissemination of the findings to accelerate and enhance evidence-based decisions about health policy and purchasing, service management, and clinical practice.
Who makes up an HTA project team?
Health technology assessments are conducted by a multidisciplinary team of researchers. The team may comprise internal staff, externally contracted individuals, or a mixture of both, depending on the required expertise. The team includes researchers with a diversity of expertise, including medicine, clinical care, pharmacology, life sciences, epidemiology, health economics, and bioethics. The team is supported by research assistants, information specialists, knowledge transfer specialists, and external clinical reviewers.
What are your key HTA publications?
The Health Technology Assessment Program offers a full range of evidence-based reports and information products to meet the needs of various decision makers. Our products are tailored to the amount and type of evidence that is available on a given technology or service. Our reports follow a standardized format to make the information readily accessible. Learn more about our products:
- Technology Reports
- Technology Overviews
- Health Technology Update
- Issues in Emerging Health Technologies
- Emerging Drug List
Who uses Health Technology Assessment Reports and Publications?
Health technology assessment reports and publications are used to support and inform the health care decisions made by drug plan managers, regional health authorities, federal and provincial government policy makers, hospital administrators, and health care professionals. Other groups that use health technology assessments include research organizations, universities, health businesses, the volunteer sector, and interested members of the public.
How can I obtain copies of publications, including new reports?
Reports may be downloaded at no cost from the Publications database. Printed (mailed) copies may be requested for many of our publications at pubs@cadth.ca. We invite you to subscribe here to receive e-mail notification of new publication postings of our publications and information products.