Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T05:05:27.716Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

HOW CAN HEALTH SYSTEMS PREPARE FOR NEW AND EMERGING HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES? THE ROLE OF HORIZON SCANNING REVISITED

Part of: Special Collection - Policy Forums

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 June 2018

Wija Oortwijn ,
Laura Sampietro-Colom ,
Fay Habens  and
Rebecca Trowman
Wija Oortwijn
Affiliation:
HTAi Global Policy Forum Scientific Secretary, Ecorys Nederland B.V., Radboud University Medical Centre, Department for Health Evidencewija.oortwijn@ecorys.com
Laura Sampietro-Colom
Affiliation:
Health Technology Assessment International Global Policy Forum, Hospital Clinic Barcelona
Fay Habens
Affiliation:
Health Technology Assessment International Global Policy Forum, Wessex Institute, Alpha House, University of Southampton Science Park
Rebecca Trowman
Affiliation:
Health Technology Assessment International
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objectives:

For many years, several health technology assessment (HTA) agencies scanned the horizon to identify health technologies that were safe, effective and offer value for money. However, there is limited evidence regarding its impact. The role of horizon scanning in preparing health systems for the uptake of new and emerging health technologies was discussed during the 2018 HTA International (HTAi) Global Policy Forum Meeting.

Methods:

Reflection of the discussion between seventy-two senior representatives from for-profit, not-for-profit organizations, and HTAi leadership. It was informed by a background paper, and presentations from four invited experts and seventeen Policy Forum members.

Results:

Current horizon scanning systems (HSS) mainly identify health technologies in the late stage of development, aiming to inform topic selection for HTA. Areas for improvement included the need for a clearer definition of the end user(s), purpose, scope, and focus of HSS, the long-term full health system effects, including all relevant stakeholders as early as possible, and considering smart data systems and international collaboration to improve HSS's efficiency. The way in which HSS could be further optimized and better shaped to prepare health systems was also discussed and good practice examples were presented.

Conclusions:

HSS have not yet reached their full potential in preparing health systems. To improve the current situation, the HTA community could act as convenors, bringing together all relevant stakeholders and providing the information that decision makers need. This would require a new, more integrative approach to define and use HSS and HTA, and requires new skills.

Keywords

Horizon scanningEmerging health technologyHealth technology assessmentHealth systems
Type
Policy
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 34 , Issue 3 , 2018 , pp. 254 - 259
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

We thank all Policy Forum Committee members for steering our work: Barbara Calvert, Abbott; Joseph Cook, Pfizer Inc.; Tammy Clifford, Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH), Canada; Wim Goettsch, National Health Care Institute (ZIN), The Netherlands; Elizabeth Cobbs, Merck; Andrew Mitchell, Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC), Australia; and Sean Tunis, Centre for Medical Technology Policy (CMTP), US. We also thank the HTAi Policy Forum attendees for sharing their thoughts and experiences during the HTAi Policy Forum 2018 (see Supplementary Table 1).

References

REFERENCES

1.OECD. New health technologies: Managing access, value and sustainability. Paris: OECD Publishing. January 16, 2017; p. 71. http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/managing-new-technologies-in-health-care_9789264266438-en (accessed March 7, 2018).Google Scholar
2.Velasco-Garrido, M, Busse, R. Health technology assessment. An introduction to objectives, role of evidence, and structure in Europe. Brussels: European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies; 2005.Google Scholar
3.Douw, K, Vondeling, H, Eskildsen, D, Simpson, S. Use of the internet in scanning the horizon for new and emerging health technologies: A survey of agencies involved in horizon scanning. J Med Internet Res. 2003;5:e6. doi.org/10.2196/jmir.5.1.e6.Google Scholar
4.Packer, C, Fung, M, Stevens, A. Analyzing 10 years of early awareness and alert activity in the United Kingdom. Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2012;28:308–314.Google Scholar
5.Godman, B, Oortwijn, W, De Waure, C, et al. Links between pharmaceutical R&D models and access to affordable medicines. European Parliament. Directorate General for Internal Policies. Policy Department A: Economic and scientific Policy. European Union, PE 587.321 EN. IP/A/ENVI/2015-06, October 2016. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=IPOL_STU(2016)587321 (accessed March 6, 2018).Google Scholar
6.Health Technology Assessment international. Global Policy Forum. http://www.htai.org/policy-forum/global-policy-forum.html (accessed March 7, 2018).Google Scholar
7.Husereau, D, on behalf of the HTAi Policy Forum, 2016 Policy Forum Background Paper. Changing HTA Paradigms, 8 January, 2016. https://www.htai.org/policy-forum/global-policy-forum/ (accessed March 6, 2018).Google Scholar
8.Oortwijn, W, on behalf of the HTAi Policy Forum. 2017 Background Paper. From theory to action: Developments in value frameworks to inform the allocation of health care resources. https://www.htai.org/policy-forum/global-policy-forum/ (accessed March 5, 2018).Google Scholar
9.Oortwijn, W, on behalf of the HTAi Policy Forum. Facing the dynamics of future innovation: The role of HTA, industry and health system in scanning the horizon. Background Paper 2018 Policy Forum. https://www.htai.org/policy-forum/global-policy-forum/ (accessed April 20, 2018).Google Scholar
10.Chatham House. The Royal Institute of International Affairs. Chatham House Rule. https://www.chathamhouse.org/about/chatham-house-ruleD (accessed March 5, 2018).Google Scholar
11.Murphy, K, Packer, C, Stevens, A, Simpson, A. Effective early warning systems for new and emerging health technologies: Developing an evaluation framework and an assessment of current systems. Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2007;23:324–330.Google Scholar
12.Banta, H, Jonnson, E. History of HTA: Introduction. Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2009;(Suppl 1):1–6.Google Scholar
13.EUnetHTA. EUnetHTA WP7 research and analysis activity 1: Final report. An analysis of HTA and reimbursement procedures in HTA partner countries: Final report, 2017. http://www.eunethta.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/WP7-Activity-1-Report.pdf (accessed April 5, 2018).Google Scholar
14.Packer, C, Simpson, S, Terezinha de Almeida, R. EuroScan International Network Member Agencies: Their structure, processes and outputs. Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2015;31:78–85.Google Scholar
15.Lepage-Nefkens, I, Douw, K, Mantjes, G, et al. Horizon scanning for pharmaceuticals. Proposal for the BeNeLuxA collaboration. Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE), 2017: 20. https://kce.fgov.be/publication/report/horizon-scanning-for-pharmaceuticals-proposal-for-the-beneluxa-collaboration (accessed March 7, 2018).Google Scholar
16.Eriksson, I, Wettermark, B, Persson, M, et al. The early awareness and alert system in Sweden: History and current status. Front Pharmacol. 2017;8:674. doi:10.3389/fphar.2017.00674.Google Scholar
17.Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH, 2017). The use of proton beam therapy in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia: An environmental scan of funding, referrals, and future planning (environmental scan; no. 59). https://cadth.ca/dv/use-proton-beam-therapy-canada-united-kingdom-and-australia-environmental-scan-funding-referrals-and (accessed March 14, 2018).Google Scholar
18.The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. Workforce Support. Impact of the renewed NCSP on the pathology workforce. https://www.rcpa.edu.au/Library/Practising-Pathology/NCSP/Workforce-Support (accessed March 14, 2018).Google Scholar
19.Joppi, R. International experiences of horizon scanning: An introduction to early awareness and alert systems. Presentation. EuroScan Workshop. HTAi Annual Meeting, 18 June 2017. Referring to Packer C, Simpson S, Terezinha de Almeida R. EuroScan International Network Member Agencies: Their structure, processes and outputs. Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2015;31:78–85.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Oortwijn et al. supplementary material

Oortwijn et al. supplementary material 1

Download Oortwijn et al. supplementary material(File)
File 14.3 KB