Health technology assessment capacity at national level in sub-Saharan Africa: an initial survey of stakeholders [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]

Background: Health technology assessment (HTA) is an effective tool for supporting priority setting (PS) in health. Stakeholder groups need to understand HTA appropriate to their role and to interpret and critique the evidence produced. We aimed to rapidly assess current health system priorities and...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Samantha A. Hollingworth, Francis Ruiz, Mohamed Gad, Kalipso Chalkidou
Formato: article
Lenguaje:EN
Publicado: F1000 Research Ltd 2021
Materias:
R
Q
Acceso en línea:https://doaj.org/article/2fc6eed2d68e46faae49b86ccf8461ff
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
Descripción
Sumario:Background: Health technology assessment (HTA) is an effective tool for supporting priority setting (PS) in health. Stakeholder groups need to understand HTA appropriate to their role and to interpret and critique the evidence produced. We aimed to rapidly assess current health system priorities and policy areas of demand for HTA in Sub-Saharan Africa, and identify key gaps in data and skills to inform targeted capacity building. Methods: We revised an existing survey, delivered it to 357 participants, then analysed responses and explored key themes. Results: There were 51 respondents (14%, 30 full completions) across 14 countries. HTA was considered an important and valuable PS tool with a key role in the design of health benefits packages, clinical guideline development, and service improvement. Medicines were identified as a technology type that would especially benefit from the application of HTA. Using HTA to address safety issues (e.g. low-quality medicines) and value for money concerns was particularly highlighted. The perceived availability and accessibility of suitable local data to support HTA varied widely but was mostly considered inadequate and limited. Respondents also noted a need for training support in research methodology and data gathering. Conclusions: While important in raising awareness of HTA as a tool for PS, this study had a low response rate, and that respondents were self-selected. A more refined survey will be developed to support engagement strategies and capacity building.