Medical technology assessment in Finland

We need five kinds of people to guide us further through the integrated process of medical technology assessment: (a) idea generators; (b) entrepreneurs/product, process and practice "champions"; (c) program managers; (d) gatekeepers/communicators; and (e) sponsors/"coaches." If we focus on idea generators, empirical research quickly points out a significant difference between people who create ideas and those who apply the ideas that others have generated. Entrepreneurs and product "champions" promote change and innovation, take ideas, and attempt to move them forward in organizations to gain their adoption. The third necessary contributor to development in medical technology assessment is referred to as the program manager, the person who handles the supportive functions of planning, scheduling, and finance. Communicators are crucial in getting the results of assessment efforts disseminated. The sponsor or the "coach" is a more senior person who does not carry out the research or directly champion change but who provides the encouragement, support, facilitation, and help in "bootlegging activities" that are necessary to aid junior people in their attempts to move research advances forward in an organization. Whether we find these kinds of people in Finland or not--and how long we take to do so--will determine the path of medical technology assessment in Finland toward the year 2000 and beyond.