Health technology assessment: the process in Brazil

Area of Science:

• Health Policy and Management
• Health Economics
• Public Health

Background:

• The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) process in Brazil plays a crucial role in informing healthcare decisions.
• Understanding the perspectives of decision-makers is vital for optimizing HTA processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe, analyze, and compare the opinions of decision-makers involved in Brazil's HTA process in 2011.
• To identify key areas for improvement within the national HTA framework.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study utilizing a structured questionnaire.
• Surveyed health care professionals from public and private healthcare systems (HCS).
• Data analysis included descriptive statistics and chi-square tests.

Main Results:

• 85% found submission times inadequate; 88% desired improvements in committee composition.
• Private sector respondents more frequently cited inappropriate submission times (P=0.019) and called for defined decision deadlines (P=0.021).
• A preference for a maximum decision period of 180 days was noted (P<0.001).

Conclusions:

• Respondents expressed a need for HTA process improvements to align with expectations.
• Recent legislation addressing submission, decision timelines (180 days), and committee expansion appears to have met key concerns.
• This study provides historical context for HTA process evolution in Brazil; further monitoring of the new process is recommended.