Developing an agency's position with respect to patient involvement in health technology assessment: the importance of the organizational culture

Abstract

The Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE) formally involves stakeholders in HTA since 2012. Patients are treated as one stakeholder amongst others, but it is recognized that patient involvement (PI) requires a different approach. The success of implementing PI depends, however, on the organizational culture toward PI.

Objectives

The objective of this study was to map the PI culture at KCE in the context of the development of organization-wide supported position statements about PI.

Methods

A nominal group technique was used to measure the PI culture at KCE. Arguments for and against PI and conditions for PI in different phases of the HTA process were collected. A literature review and interviews fed the draft position statements, for which support was assessed by means of a two-round Delphi process.

Results

Arguments in favor of PI in HTA related to the relevance of the scope, expertise with data collection, bringing in fresh ideas for study design, access to survey participants, validation of data analyses, adherence to recommendations. Disadvantages and risks included the lack of scientific knowledge of involved patients, resources requirements, conflicts of interest, and heterogeneity within patient populations. Conditions for meaningful PI referred to measures mitigating the identified disadvantages. Eighteen position statements supported by KCE could be formulated.

Conclusion

The KCE culture seems predominantly positive toward PI, although attitudes vary between HTA researchers. KCE recognizes the potential value of PI in HTA, but considers the level of involvement to be contingent on the topic and phase in the HTA process.