Using health technology assessment for better healthcare decisions

Canadian health leaders can benefit from greater involvement in the design and production of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) through enhanced working relationships with HTA producers. The HTA producers and health leaders have a shared interest in the appropriate use of pharmaceuticals, healthcare devices, and procedures which benefit patients and support sustainable health systems. This article highlights the shared responsibility of HTA producers and decision makers in the appropriate use of these healthcare interventions through an examination of a HTA-informed policy and practice change in the management diabetes in elderly residents in long-term care settings. Consideration is given to the role of the co-responsibility model and LEADS in a Caring Environment framework (LEADS) in helping to facilitate partnerships between decision-makers and HTA producers in the realization of HTA-informed policy and practice.