Does health technology assessment benefit health services and politics?

Abstract

Health technology assessment (HTA) was introduced in Denmark 20 years ago. However, it only came into fashion a few years ago. This happened when politicians and health service decision-makers realized that due to the increasing pressure on resources prioritization was an inescapable fact. HTA was supposed to support this effort by providing a broad spectrum of information designed for decision-making. Events speeded up from that point on: a national HTA strategy, a national HTA institution, satellite institutions, and many HTA projects were set up – at national, regional, and local levels. The diversity and decentralization of decision-making combined with a broad and interdisciplinary approach to methodology guided the development of Danish HTA. Experiences with HTA were gained from successful applications and disappointing encounters with uncontrollable political processes. Politicians seem in general to be content with the development. An evaluation of the impact of HTA has not yet been undertaken, and a good deal of work lies ahead. The implementation of HTA results will be one of the greatest challenges of the years ahead.