OP305 A Systematic Approach To Include Ethical Aspects In Health Technology Assessments – Experiences And Evaluation

Abstract

Introduction

The Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services (SBU) is commissioned to assess ethical aspects in their health technology assessment (HTA) reports, in addition to effects and health economic aspects of the examined interventions. For this purpose, a framework for systematic evaluation of ethical aspects of healthcare technologies has been developed and used at SBU since 2014. With seven years of practice, we decided it was time to evaluate experiences from using the ethical framework and consider possible adjustments to improve future use.

Methods

SBU reports in the time period 2014–2020 were systematically screened for ethical content. Focus group meetings with users of the framework (mainly HTA project managers) were held where opinions regarding usability and possible obstacles were collected. A revised version of the document was sent for consultation to relevant stakeholders (possible users, reviewers and recipients) in order to collect additional views.

Results

Of fifty-eight HTA reports produced in the time frame, ethical aspects were evaluated in fifty-five reports (ninety-five percent), and in most cases, the framework had been used as support. In twenty-one cases (thirty-six percent), a professional ethicist had been engaged in the work. In twelve cases (twenty-one percent), ethical aspects were presented in the main conclusions of the report. Opinions from users and reviewers revealed that the framework was generally regarded as a helpful tool, but problems regarding interpretation of specific questions were highlighted and subjected to revision.

Conclusions

The ethical framework is a valuable tool for systematic and transparent identification and discussion of ethical aspects in the HTA context, and it has been well implemented at SBU. A systematic approach to assess ethical aspects can facilitate the communication and dissemination of ethical aspects as principal results from the HTA project.