Abstract
BackgroundMuch attention in recent years has been given to the topic of public engagement in health technology assessment (HTA) decision-making. HTA organizations spend substantial resources and time on undertaking public engagement, and numerous studies have examined challenges and barriers to engagement in the decision-making process however uncertainty remains as to optimal methods to incorporate the views of the public in HTA decision-making. Little research has been done to ascertain whether current engagement processes align with public preferences and to what extent their desire for engagement is dependent on the question being asked by decision-makers or the characteristics of the decision. This study will examine public preferences for engagement in Australian HTA decision-making using an exploratory mixed methods design.Methods/DesignThe aims of this study are to: 1) identify characteristics about HTA decisions that are important to the public in determining whether public engagement should be undertaken on a particular topic, 2) determine which decision characteristics influence public preferences for the extent, or type of public engagement, and 3) describe reasons underpinning these preferences. Focus group participants from the general community, aged 18–70 years, will be purposively sampled from the Australian population to ensure a wide range of demographic groups. Each focus group will include a general discussion on public engagement as well as a ranking exercise using a modified nominal group technique (NGT). The NGT will inform the design of a discrete choice study to quantitatively assess public preferences for engagement in HTA decision-making.DiscussionThe proposed research seeks to investigate under what circumstances and how the public would like their views and preferences to be considered in health technology assessments. HTA organizations regularly make decisions about when and how public engagement should occur but without consideration of the public’s preferences on the method and extent of engagement. This information has the potential to assist decision-makers in tailoring engagement approaches, and may be particularly useful in decisions with potential for conflict where clarification of public values and preferences could strengthen the decision-making process.
Highlights
Much attention in recent years has been given to the topic of public engagement in health technology assessment (HTA) decision-making
The proposed research seeks to investigate under what circumstances and how the public would like their views and preferences to be considered in health technology assessments
The aims of the focus/nominal group component are to: 1. explore the views of the public in respect to public engagement in HTA decision-making, 2. identify characteristics about individual HTAs that are important in determining whether public engagement should be undertaken on a particular topic, 3. develop a rank ordering of the factors elicited in aim 2 to be used in a discrete choice experiment (DCE) on public engagement in HTA, and
Summary
This study will use qualitative and quantitative methods to determine the Australian public’s preferences for engagement in HTA. It will build upon other studies of public engagement and social values in HTA, but will focus on ordinary or lay citizens rather than stakeholder groups such as patients or decision-makers. Stage one of the study will generate two separate outputs: a qualitative analysis of issues around public engagement, prioritization and resource allocation in health technology, and a ranked list of the characteristics that the public considers the most important in determining whether or not public engagement should be undertaken in HTA. All authors read and approved the final manuscript
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