Elisabeth Oehrlein Co-Authored Paper Published by International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care
“Development of an International Template to Support Patient Submissions in Health Technology Assessments” by Nigel Cook, Heidi Livingstone, Jennifer Dickson, Louise Taylor, Kate Morgan, Martin Coombes, Sally Wortley, Elisabeth Oehrlein, María José Vicente-Edo, Franz Waibel, and Barry Liden was published online by the International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care.
The paper begins, “Understanding the perspectives of patients and their families and carers is becoming widely recognized as a critical component in any Health Technology Assessment (HTA) for reimbursement purposes. Patients, families, and carers can provide unique information about what it is like to live with a condition and give a real-life view of the potential impact of a new medicine.
Patient groups can help provide this information through their engagement with the HTA process, which is illustrative of inclusivity, a core principle of effective deliberative processes in HTA. Inclusivity involves creating an environment where stakeholders can meaningfully contribute to the HTA decision-making process, for example by sharing information and/or providing this information in plain language. Often, the content of an HTA submission is inaccessible or quite technical. As a result, patients or patient groups may find it difficult to comment on the proposed use of a treatment or discuss trade-offs of the benefits and harms of a treatment. HTA bodies, however, often ask patients or patient groups these questions to inform deliberations in addition to questions about patients’ experience of living with a condition. It is, therefore, important that relevant patient audiences have an informed and appropriate understanding of the treatment or technology under review in order to optimize their input into the HTA process.”
Read the full article here.