The contribution of Health Technology Assessment to health policie

Issues/problem Health Technology Assessment (HTA) provides decision makers with multidisciplinary and thorough evaluation of diverse health technologies but how far is it taken into consideration in the definition of health policies? Description of the problem Even though HTA is expected to inform decision-making at several levels, from micro to macro, concerns still arise on the translation of research into practice and policies in the real world. Since HTA is deeply linked to the decision-makers counterpart and should be not only oriented but also driven by decision-making, it could really provide valuable insight into the ways to get a fruitful integration between research and policy. Results A broad body of evidence has addressed in the past years the challenges linked to the translation of HTA results in the decision-making process. Several factors have been identified as potential incentives to strengthen the impact of HTA. Among them, the following may be listed: the early and constant involvement of all stakeholders, the timeliness and the appropriateness of the evaluation, the transparency of process, the proper communication and dissemination of results. The institutional framework could also influence the impact of HTA on policy-making. With this respect, this presentation will address some case studies looking at facilitators and barriers of the implementation of HTA results into practice. Lessons HTA is an important tool to tackle health topics, at national, regional and local level. Notwithstanding it, information and best practices on the translation and implementation of HTA results should be shared and born in mind in order to really support an informed and evidence based policy.