Abstract
Aim: In this article, we aim to present a tool for the early assessment of medical technologies. This evaluation system was designed and implemented by the National Centre for HTA and the National Centre for Innovative Technologies of the Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Italy, in order to respond to an institutional commitment within the “Health Technologies Assessment Team” that was established to face the huge demand for the evaluation of Health Technologies during the pandemic event caused by COVID-19, with a smart and easy-to-use framework. Methods: Horizon scanning was conducted through a brief assessment carried out according to the multicriteria decision analysis methodology. Each HTA domain was attributed a score according to a pros/cons and opportunities/threats system, derived from evidence in the literature. Scores were weighted according to different perspectives. Scores were presented in a Cartesian graph showing the positioning according to the potential value and the perceived risk associated with the technology. Results: Two case studies regarding the early assessment were reported, concerning two specific technologies: an individual protection device and a contact tracking system.
Highlights
In order to support decision-makers and the funding bodies for new programs and new technologies in an informed and responsible way, it was necessary to design, test and implement an evaluation system that, with a low degree of complexity and a high ease of use, was able to provide all the information for the priority setting. This evaluation system was designed and implemented by the National Centre for HTA and the National Centre for Innovative Technologies of the Istituto Superiore di Sanita, Italy, in order to respond to an institutional commitment within the “Health Technologies Assessment Team” that was established to face the huge demand for the evaluation of health technologies during the pandemic event caused by COVID-19, with a smart and easy-to-use framework
This paper aims to propose an evaluation system to carry out horizon scanning in order to support the priority setting of health technologies by identifying those potentially eligible, with particular reference to the current management of the crisis surrounding COVID 19
Different competencies were enrolled in order to be capable of detecting the strengths/limits and threats/opportunities associated with all the different types of technologies that were expected to be considered for introduction in order to face the COVID emergency
Summary
Horizon scanning is defined as “The systematic identification of new, emerging or obsolete health technologies and potentially capable of producing effects on health, healthcare and society and which, once marketed, could have a significant clinical and economic impact on the National Health Service” [1,2,3,4].Overall, Horizon scanning, by means of early assessments, aims to identify, with a prospective and predictive approach in the initial development phase, the health technologies that could have a significant impact on patients, public health or health systems since, in many contexts, the introduction of new technologies often takes place without prior evaluation.Horizon scanning offers various advantages, as it guarantees the existence of a systematic approach for the identification of new or emerging health technologies. Horizon scanning is defined as “The systematic identification of new, emerging or obsolete health technologies and potentially capable of producing effects on health, healthcare and society and which, once marketed, could have a significant clinical and economic impact on the National Health Service” [1,2,3,4]. Horizon scanning, by means of early assessments, aims to identify, with a prospective and predictive approach in the initial development phase, the health technologies that could have a significant impact on patients, public health or health systems since, in many contexts, the introduction of new technologies often takes place without prior evaluation. Horizon scanning offers various advantages, as it guarantees the existence of a systematic approach for the identification of new or emerging health technologies. Public Health 2020, 17, 7823; doi:10.3390/ijerph17217823 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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