Health technology assessment: principles, methods and current status

This paper analyses the methodological and technical aspects of health technology assessment (HTA) as a tool for evaluating health technologies and procedures, with special reference to diagnostic imaging; describes the main experiences with HTA at the international and national level; outlines the most important HTA projects in Italy, and analyses the effects of HTA on health care strategies and policies. The work was carried out in three phases. In the first phase, the authors analysed the principles, methods and instruments of HTA; in the second, they evaluated the current status of HTA in different countries; and in the third, they defined the impact of HTA on the decision-making process in health care. Since the 1970s, technological innovation has been accompanied by the development of methods for the multidisciplinary assessment of the technical, scientific, economic, ethical and social aspects inherent in the use of new technologies. The method is implemented at an international level by a network of public and private bodies that carry out HTA in support of health care policies. Because the application of HTA is still in its early stages in Italy, it is necessary to promote its development by drawing on consolidated international experiences.