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Prioritizing health technologies in a Primary Care Trust
Edward Wilson1, Jon Sussex, Christine Macleod
1UEA/NHS Health Economics Support Programme, Health Economics Group, School of Medicine, Health Policy & Practice, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK. ed.wilson@uea.ac.uk
Journal of Health Services Research & Policy
|April 5, 2007
Summary
A new multi-criteria mechanism helps prioritize health services in England's National Health Service (NHS). This tool aids decision-making for Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) facing finite resources and varying evidence quality.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Health Economics
- Public Health Policy
Background:
- Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in the English National Health Service (NHS) commission health services.
- Resource allocation requires prioritizing services to meet population needs.
- Evidence on service effectiveness varies in quality and availability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and pilot a multi-criteria prioritization mechanism for health service developments.
- To assist PCTs in making evidence-based commissioning decisions.
- To rank six different service developments based on multiple criteria.
Main Methods:
- Development of a multi-criteria prioritization mechanism.
- Pilot application within an English PCT.
- Ranking of six health service developments using the mechanism.
- Sensitivity analysis to assess the impact of scoring panel diversity.
Main Results:
- The mechanism effectively assisted prioritization decisions with positive feedback.
- Community-based interventions projected to save money were ranked highest.
- Preventive programs and NICE-approved interventions were ranked lower.
- Sensitivity analysis indicated potential overlap in benefit scores, reflecting diverse opinions.
Conclusions:
- The multi-criteria mechanism is a practical tool for health care prioritization by commissioners.
- The pilot highlighted a divergence between national priorities and local health needs.
- Further refinement may be needed to reconcile national mandates with local health priorities.
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