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Can our health services be saved by technology evaluation? The Quebec experience
1Conseil d'évaluation des technologies de la santé du Québec, Montreal.
Summary
Technology assessment (TA) has limited value in identifying ineffective health technologies. Its true strength lies in guiding difficult choices between competing technologies to optimize healthcare finances.
Area of Science:
- Health economics
- Health services research
- Technology assessment
Background:
- Healthcare systems face financial deficits, partly due to the introduction of new health technologies.
- Technology assessment (TA) is proposed as a method to control costs by eliminating inefficient technologies.
- Previous assumptions about TA's cost-saving potential may be overly optimistic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the uses and limitations of technology assessment (TA) in healthcare.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of TA in identifying and managing healthcare technologies based on recent experiences.
- To explore the practical value of TA in resource allocation decisions within health services.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent experiences with the Conseil d'évaluation des technologies du Québec.
- Analysis of the role of TA in identifying ineffective versus inappropriate technologies.
- Examination of TA's utility in facilitating choices between different healthcare technologies.
Main Results:
- TA has limited efficacy in identifying outright ineffective technologies.
- TA is more effective at highlighting inappropriate uses of existing technologies.
- The primary value of TA is in aiding complex decisions between competing technological options.
Conclusions:
- Technology assessment's role in eliminating useless technologies is often exaggerated.
- TA's strength is in illuminating inappropriate technology use and guiding choices between alternatives.
- Cost-effectiveness estimates, when used cautiously, can support difficult healthcare technology decisions, but require full understanding of limitations.