Decontamination technology assessments - who assesses the assessments?

The driver to improve surgical instrument decontamination has been the introduction of vCJD into the UK population over the last two decades, although concerns over transmission of other infectious agents remain valid. Though significant improvements have been made in primary care, this is usually in spite of limited access to technical advice on decontamination equipment. A technology assessment for key elements of equipment and processes used in this environment should be welcomed. However, two reports by the Scottish Health Technology Assessment Panel are flawed in estimating costs associated with wrapping instruments, omission of appropriate references and inaccurate data in the costing models. These assessments contribute little to health economics debates, confuse practitioners and frustrate technical experts.