Consumer Involvement in Health Technology Assessment

Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) HTA Initiative #21.

Much of the activity and purpose of HTA is related to interaction with organizations and individuals with interests in the technologies that are being considered. The focus is often stakeholders with major financial or operational responsbilities for health technologies, including government authorities, the manufacturing industry, health care professionals and the health insurance industry. Patients and their families or carers are an obvious key group with major interests in health technologies, but HTA has rarely involved them in the assessment process. There seems a need for HTA to give more attention to the views of patients as a group that has immediate involvement with health technologies.

NOTE: In 2006 the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research HTA unit moved to IHE. Documents produced in and prior to 2006 have different formats; the format was determined by the agency for which the document was produced.