Taking Account of Organisational Aspects of HTA Reports

Compared to the assessment of efficacy, effectiveness, safety and costs, the analysis of the organisational impact of medical technologies has often been neglected. In addition, no international consensus has been reached so far about the definition of what is meant by the organisational impact of a medical technology. This article integrates different methodological approaches (translation model, input-output model), and an analytical matrix is developed that may be used to assess the impact of a technology on the organisation of health care. Basically, a distinction will be made between a technology's impact on organisational care and on health care providers. In the context of the German legal regulatory system, quality assurance is an important instrument and thus a constituent element of the analysis of the organisational impact of technologies. This includes, e.g., qualification requirements, minimum thresholds and technical standards regarding equipment.