Access to quality healthcare is often limited in rural and underserved areas, leading to higher rates of preventable diseases, avoidable hospitalizations, and mortality. Virtual health clinics, utilizing telehealth and telemedicine technologies, offer a promising solution to bridge these gaps. This scoping review aimed to systematically identify and analyze the benefits, outcomes, and service range of virtual clinics in remote and underserved settings.

This scoping review was conducted following Arksey and O’Malley’s six-stage framework. Relevant literature was searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google, and Google Scholar. Data were extracted using a standardized charting form and thematically analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s method with MAXQDA software.

A total of 38 benefits of virtual clinics were identified, primarily related to improved access to health services, reduced costs, and decreased patient travel. In the domain of governance and leadership, enhanced governmental support and optimal resource allocation were reported. For human resources, improved communication and training were emphasized. Moreover, the use of local technologies, remote medication ordering, and digital record-keeping demonstrated a significant impact, particularly in middle- and high-income countries.

Virtual clinics can effectively enhance the quality and accessibility of health services in underserved areas and play an important role in reducing health inequities.

Patient involvement in health technology assessment (HTA) is nascent globally especially in Asia. The aim was to assess patient awareness, involvement, and learning needs of HTA, particularly in Asia.

An online survey assessed HTA awareness, involvement, and learning needs among patients and caregivers across 33 countries from October 2021 to July 2022.

The survey of 170 participants (127 Asians, 43 non-Asians) revealed that 52.3 percent (89 of 170) were unaware of HTA, only 14.1 percent (24 of 170) engaged in HTA, and only 9.3 percent (15 of 161) had received training. The Asian group exhibited significantly lower HTA awareness (mean score 24.6 vs. 30.4, p < 0.05) and had lower participation rates in HTA discussions (10.2 percent, 13 of 127) compared to the non-Asian group (25.6 percent, 11 of 43) (p < 0.05). Among participants without prior HTA training, 68.5 percent (100 of 146) expressed a learning need.

Patient awareness and involvement in HTA were low globally, particularly in Asia. There was a strong patient learning need for HTA globally.

Few studies report the evaluation of the use of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) organizations’ knowledge products.

To determine (a) the stakeholders’ use of the products disseminated by the ‘Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux’ (INESSS), and (b) the variability of use according to user characteristics and product properties.

A prospective web survey was performed. We included all participants who accessed INESSS products and voluntarily completed an online questionnaire from 1 January 2021, to 31 December 2022. For each rated product, the participants’ use and intention to use were documented using the content-validated Information Assessment Method (IAM) questionnaire. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted.

A total of 7041 responses were gathered. After removing incomplete and ineligible responses, we were left with 5236 responses; 74.4 percent of responses were from women; 5014 (95.8 percent) reported that the product was relevant; of those, 4322 (82.5 percent) indicated that the respondent was satisfied; of those, 4096 (78.2 percent) reported that the product was used or had an intention to use the product. Regarding products’ use (n = 3023; 57.7 percent), there was no difference between regions with versus without medical faculties. Older participants were less likely to report using a product. Products with recommendations were more likely to be used, and healthcare professionals were more likely to use the products compared to other participants.

Current findings help identify audiences for targeted dissemination, guide user engagement strategies, and inform product refinement. Recommendation-containing products show the greatest uptake, particularly among younger professionals.

This study aims to systematically identify and summarize the key characteristics of Mini-Health Technology Assessment (Mini-HTA) and assess the completeness of its basic reporting information, providing a theoretical foundation for developing future reporting guidelines..

A comprehensive search for Mini-HTAs was performed using CNKI, Wanfang Data, VIP, CBM, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, HTA database, and major HTA-related websites from inception until February 2024. The completeness of basic information reporting in Mini-HTAs was assessed using the INAHTA checklist. The key characteristics of the included Mini-HTAs were summarized descriptively. Microsoft Excel 2019 was used to analyze and visually present the data.

A total of 21 Mini-HTA reports were included, with the highest number published in 2021 (5 reports, 23.8 percent). China contributed the most reports (18 reports, 85.7 percent). The most common assessment purpose was technology comparison (15 reports, 71.4 percent), with general hospitals being the predominant assessment setting (17 reports, 80.9 percent), and drugs being the most frequently assessed technology type (14 reports, 66.7 percent). The INAHTA checklist evaluation identified notable deficiencies in reporting key methodological aspects, including participant roles, conflict of interest statements, data sources, literature search strategies, and methods for data assessment and analysis.

Mini-HTAs have significantly increased in China since 2020, mainly in technology comparison, drug evaluation, and general hospitals. However, gaps remain in reporting key aspects, such as participant roles, conflict of interest, and data sources. Future efforts should focus on refining reporting guidelines to improve consistency and address these reporting deficiencies in Mini-HTA.

This study aims to explore the perspectives on disinvestment of low-value care and interventions in Malaysia’s healthcare system, with a focus on establishing the criteria for assessing disinvestment candidates, identifying potential barriers, and proposing strategies to improve the acceptance and effective implementation of disinvestment.

Between March and May 2023, we conducted online, semistructured interviews with seventeen Malaysian healthcare stakeholders with different professional roles at various levels of governance and decision making. Participants were recruited through a mix of purposive and snowballing sampling. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using inductive thematic approach in Atlas.ti.

We identified four major themes: disinvestment as a catalyst for efficient resource allocation; disinvestment as a justifiable way of cutting budgets; challenges and barriers in implementation; and strategies for value-based assessment and effective implementation. Stakeholders viewed disinvestment both optimistically and skeptically in terms of its implementation but were unanimous in including equity as a key component in decision making. Practical challenges and uncertainty among healthcare professionals emerged as significant barriers to implementing disinvestment initiatives in Malaysia.

Malaysian stakeholders viewed disinvestment as both an opportunity to improve resource allocation and a source of concern due to potential negative consequences and system readiness. This study identified strategies to support value-based assessment and implementation, underscoring the need for accountability and collaboration. Although current disinvestment efforts in Malaysia remain limited and undocumented, the thematic framework developed offers transferable insights and a structured lens for assessing readiness. These stakeholder-derived themes can guide other countries in designing transparent, equitable, and context-sensitive disinvestment processes.