Patient aspects and involvement in HTA: An academic perspective

There is an increasing focus on designing health services that are ‘patient focussed'. This is also reflected in health technology assessment (HTA), with a growing emphasize on patient perspectives and involvement. The purpose of this article is to discuss why and how patient aspects may be addressed in future HTAs'. While involving patients in the HTA process we argue that the assessments of the included aspects must be based in research to provide both relevant and valid results that can inform health policy decision makers. Patient aspects need to be explored when a technology, the organisation and/or economic aspects of a technology affect and influence patients in one way or another. “Patients” are in this sense understood as; any current or potential health service user or beneficiary of a health technology, and since illness and the use of technology often involves the family, their perspectives may also be included.

When exploring patient aspects in relation to the use of technology it is necessary to reflect on the modes of knowledge. It is important that researchers bear in mind that their understanding of knowledge always have implications in relation to the validity and scope of the research results, they produce.