New Definition of HTA

In a letter to the editor published in Value in Health, Brian O’Rourke, Wija Oortwijn and Tara Schuller offer a new definition of health technology assessment (HTA).

The authors define HTA as the following:

“HTA is a multidisciplinary process that uses explicit methods to determine the value of a health technology at different points in its lifecycle. The purpose is to inform decision making in order to promote an equitable, efficient, and high-quality health system.”

“In different organizations working in the field of HTA, we encountered a clear need to develop a new, internationally accepted definition that incorporated the central concepts of HTA in language that would be both easily understood by anyone and much more memorable and aspirational than existing definitions,” the authors said in the letter.

To read the letter, click here. (Paid subscription required)