TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT AND CHOICE

Technology assessment (TA, German: Technikfolgenabschätzung, French: évaluation des choix

scientifiques et technologiques) is a scientific, interactive, and communicative process that aims
to contribute to the formation of public and political opinion on societal aspects of science and
technology. This is a means of assessing and rating the new technology from the time when it
was first developed to the time when it is potentially accepted by the public and authorities for
further use. In essence, TA could be defined as "as a form of policy research that examines short-
and long term consequences (for example, societal, economic, ethical, legal) of the application of
technology."

Technology assessment (TA) attempts to anticipate future development of technologies and

projects and their possible impacts, and feed back the assessments to relevant decision arenas.
Different approaches have evolved depending on the decision arena; private firms (‘picking the
winners’ TA), sectors and government agencies (extended cost-benefit-risk TA as in medical and
health care TA), government and representative bodies (public service TA, with the now defunct
US Congressional Office of TA as the early example), and society in general (agenda-building
TA). Recently, one sees combinations of analytic and participatory approaches (e.g., a
background study linked to a consensus conference), and of private and public considerations (as
in constructive TA). Methodological issues include the challenge of writing a history of the
future (insights into the co-evolution of technology and society are important here); the
knowledge-control dilemma; and the distance between promotors of new technology (often
insiders) and contestants (often outsiders). TA has professionalized (with handbooks and
courses) and is by now a publicly accepted activity. The fact of its institutionalization indicates
how modern risk society is becoming reflexive. Uncertainties are not reduced by TA, but made
manageable.

Dimensions of Technology Assessment

Technology assessment was initially viewed according to a simplified paradigm as driven by
scientific progress (“science push”), or induced by market demand (“demand pull”). Yet it is
now recognized that the process of technology assessment has become infinitely more
sophisticated and includes a multitude of political and social influences that may explain some of
its inherent shortcomings. This exercise eventually leads to the concept of performing
technological trade-offs, which can be addressed from numerous viewpoints: political,
administrative, and ethical. These trade-offs are often socially and politically sensitive, and
include equity among age groups, social classes, concept of need, and legitimacy of therapeutic
goal. Regardless of the conceptual model adopted, the ultimate success of a technology
assessment exercise will lie in the successful popularization, or “diffusion,” of worthwhile
technology. The process of diffusion of a technology will thus ultimately determine whether it
gets accepted as a standard of care or gets condemned as just another gimmick.

How to Create a Technology Assessment Plan

Here are some tips on how to create an effective technology assessment plan, either for a
small/medium enterprise or for a large corporation:

1. Identify the technology that is needed by organisation

The first thing you are going to do in your assessment is to identify the technology you do
not have in your company. List down the types of technology your sales, marketing,
accounting, and human resource departments do not have. Don’t forget to identify
technology intended for security as well. The safety of your employees is paramount to the
sustainability of your company.

2. Identify the technology for implementation

Remember that the technology you want to implement should be long term, as it is not
cheap and requires a sizable budget to be implemented.

List down the specific type of technologies you want to implement (POS system,
biometrics, job applicant tracker, accounting software, etc.) and list down their
corresponding prices. To limit your costs, there are numerous free software you can use as
well, so make sure you include them in your priority list.

3. Have a sizable budget for the technology to be using

Speaking of sizable budget, make sure to have a budget enough for the technology you are
going to purchase. It is not required to spend so much on technology as you can opt at free
software and systems, but it is better to be prepared on the costs that are probably going to
incur. Security systems alone cost a few thousand dollars, so be careful on how you are
going to create your budget.

4. Consider what technology other companies are using

You may want to consider the technology other companies are using and apply in them for
your own company.

Make sure that if you are going to use the same technology from other companies, the
companies you choose to copy technology from should be profitable and successful. It is
very risky to use the same technology from a start-up, as they are still testing the
technology and might switch to another one if they don’t find that specific technology to be
useful or convenient.

Also, if you are seriously considering to use technology that other companies are using, use
technology that is relevant and useful for your company.

5. Outsource the technology assessment

You can always outsource your technology assessment to a third party. Among the third-
party companies that create technology assessments are private research and consultation
companies. But make sure that if you are going to outsource your technology assessment,
proceed to a reputable research firm known to create quality research works. The last thing
you want to have is a poorly written and researched technology assessment that  does not
help your company in any way.

How Technology Has Affected Business Functions

There was a time when technology was not associated with computers and artificial
intelligence. When an invention was made and it had a revolutionary impact in business
operations, it was already considered as technology. The telegraph, calculator, bar codes,
and light bulbs were definitely revolutionary by the time they were invented, and due to
their impact, they are still being used today.

Technology has definitely affected how people do business, and here are some ways where
technology has affected various business functions (sales and marketing, human resource,
accounting and finance, research and development, and production).

1. Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing (although some companies have separate sales and marketing
departments) is probably the most important department in any company.

Without sales, the company does not have any earnings and will dive into bankruptcy in
less than a week or month. In older times, every sale was recorded in a book or ledger.
Sometimes, discrepancies are never avoided causing companies to report data or
information in their general sales reports. Discrepancies in sales reports will automatically
cause discrepancies in financial reports, thus resulting in companies losing millions.

One invention that made a revolutionary impact in terms of sales is the POS (point of sale)
machine, more specifically the cashier box. POS systems made it easier for businesses to
track every item that was sold, thus making it easier for them to create monthly and yearly
sales reports. Inventory systems have also been developed to keep track of the items or
products that the company currently have, and also which products will be arriving.

In terms of marketing meanwhile, companies no longer have to print out large posters and
tarpaulins just for them to increase their visibility in the market.

Technology has made it possible for digital posters to be used, in which these posters are
embedded in the company’s website for everyone to view not only the company’s target
demographic. Editing the poster designs are also made easier due to numerous image
editing software such as Adobe Photoshop and CorelDRAW. They are also easier to edit
and less costly compared to creating a physical poster.
Social media has also made it more convenient for companies to conduct their marketing
activities. Using social media applications such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and
Snapchat is very easy, and they are often free which make them very affordable especially
for a start-up company.

2. Accounting and Finance

Similar to sales and marketing, technology has also affected accounting and finance in a
big way. Various accounting software have been developed the past few years and allows
the businesses to create financial reports in a more convenient manner. Some accounting
software are linked to POS systems which makes it easier for companies to record their
daily sales transactions.

Similar to the sales, accounting and finance play a major role in every company’s success.
Without sales and without each sale transaction being recorded, businesses will not be able
to function properly. Additionally, various financial reports ( income statements, balance
sheet, statement of cash flows, statement of owner’s equity) also need to be created for
management to formulate better financial decisions.

3. Human Resource

Without people, companies would never function. Human resource is vital to any company,
either for a large corporation employing 1,000 people to small business employing less
than five individuals. In the past two decades, human resource systems have been
developed to make it easier for HR personnel to find, shortlist, and hire employees. Human
resource systems have also been developed to keep employees motivated in the workplace.
Before, human resource departments would receive hundreds of hard copy applications on
a daily basis. This results in some applications getting lost, and some shortlisted
applications getting ignored due to pile of applications being accumulated. Now, job
applicants would just submit their applications online, making it easier for human resource
personnel to screen and shortlist applicants.

In regards to keeping applicants motivated in the workplace, HR systems allow HR

personnel to keep track of activities they have planned for a specific department or for the
entire organization. Top management can also create and monitor the budget given to
human resource for team building and workshop activities.

The Future of Technology

Speaking of technology, here are some technological advancements to look out for in the
future. Some may never come into fruition, but there are others that  have already began
production and will be fully maximized by numerous companies and corporations soon.

1. Holograms

If you’ve seen Iron Man, you have definitely noticed Tony Stark doing all sorts of
projected computer functions without the use of a single laptop or gadget.

Holograms can also be seen in probably all futuristic science fiction movies (Star Wars and
Star Trek as the more popular ones). Can you imagine doing all your work, projects, and
editing through merely a projection anytime and anywhere? Apple has already created a
concept hologram phone, and it might be sold in the market within the next ten years.

2. Brain implants

Brain plants have already been around for quite a while, but the future of brain implants
revolve around the implant forcing the person to do an action based on the implant’s
instruction.

The implant is controlled by a central server or computer that  tells the person what to do,
and basically involves using all of the body’s five senses. Think of the 1999 classic The
Matrix where the brains of the protagonists were plugged to a computer which then
transported them to another dimension.

3. Humanoid workers

Artificial intelligence: probably the final frontier in terms of technology.

A robot or a humanoid (a robot that looks and functions like a human being without being
entirely human itself) doing everyday work responsibilities at a faster and more efficient
rate than humans. Numerous manufacturing companies have already utilized robots in their
assembly lines, and it won’t be soon before robots resembling human beings having high
levels of IQ and EQ to take over.

Jump to Workshop
 

What are some simple ways to get started using assessment, evaluation, and
curriculum redesign?
What are some of the conceptual tools for assessment, evaluation and
curriculum redesign?
What are some challenges I might face?
How can assessment, evaluation, and curriculum redesign involve family and the
community?
How can technology be used with assessment, evaluation, and curriculum
redesign?

How can technology be used with assessment,

evaluation, and curriculum redesign?

Modern technology offers educators a

variety of new tools that can be used in
the classroom. Technology can help
teachers track and assess their students'
-- as well as their own -- performance
in the classroom. It can also be used to facilitate
communication between students and teachers and to
create digital records of student growth and
development that can easily be passed along from
grade to grade.

Improving Teaching

Teachers can use technology to make their own work

more productive -- teachers can use spreadsheets to
track student work and also track their teaching plans.
If a group of students is performing poorly in a
particular area, this kind of record keeping can
highlight areas that the teacher needs to focus on in
their own teaching.

These tools can also help administrators assess and

improve teacher performance.

The Internet is another tool that can be used to

communicate about assessment, evaluation and
curriculum redesign with the wider community. This
workshop series is an example of this idea in practice.
For more information about the Internet and classroom
education, see Why the Net? An Interative Tool For
the Classroom.

Using Technology in Classroom Evaluations

What goes on inside a student's head is often a

mystery or a "black box", says Dr. Anthony Petrosino,
Associate Professor at the University of Texas, and an
expert reviewer of this workshop series. Technology
gives us a way to get feedback continually during the
teaching process, instead of at the end of the teaching
process -- when you end up with only a retrospective
understanding.

How can technology assist in understanding the minds

of children? You can gather a lot of insight by talking
to a child at length, but that is often not practical in the
classroom. Given the constraints of the classroom,
technology can provide another set of ways to assess
what children are understanding and learning. It
allows for continuing evaluation of the classroom
lessons.

One example of a new tool is a program called

Diagnoser, developed by Jim Minstrell and Earl
Huntand at the University of Washington. This
program is designed to give teachers insight into a
student's conceptual understanding of high school
science. The program asks a series of questions, which
are designed to test deep understanding. The goal is
not to elicit the correct answer, but to understand how
the student arrives at the answer they have chosen.
Gravity, for example, is one of the modules the
program addresses. Gravity is frequently
misunderstood, and many students often believe that
heavy objects fall more rapidly than light ones. The
Diagnoser is designed to ask a series of questions
about the behavior of a bowling ball and golf ball -- if
both are let go at the same time, which will hit the
ground first? -- and then, through a series of questions,
the teacher gets an insight into the students'
understanding of the basic principles behind their
choices. What are their miscomprehensions? With a
clear view of his classes' misunderstandings, the
teacher can shift emphasis and redesign his
instructional plans in mid-course.

Technology can also be used in

the production of portfolios.
There are now available a whole
new range of devices that
students can use in producing
materials for evaluation.
Students can use scanners, digital photographs, and
computer-generated movies as part of a multi-media
portfolio. Speeches, musical performances, and
compositions can also be included in appropriate file
formats, allowing for the documentation of athletic,
dramatic, musical, and other performance-based
activities. One of the advantages of a digital, multi-
media portfolio is that it can be made available to a
variety of communities. It can be designed so it can be
reviewed by the student and their teacher, or by their
classmates. It can even be placed on the Web, where
students work can be made public. This becomes a
wonderful opportunity for parents to see and react to
their children's classroom work. One major advantage
to digital technology is that the work can become part
of a larger, broader conversation. Feedback can then
be received from an expanding universe of
communities.

Continual feedback between teachers and students

generates a way of teaching that is very different from
the traditional approach. It becomes more like sailing
a ship, with the teacher constantly adjusting course.
The goal is set, but the actual path responds to the
needs of the individual students. That is a model for
what assessment looks like when it occurs
continuously during instruction.

Technology is just a new set of tools, which are useful

only if they add value to the learning experience.
Photo credit: Thinkstock

Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from the article "Assessment and the Learning Brain:
What the Research Says," which appeared in Independent School Magazine (Winter
2014) by Mariale Hardiman and Glenn Whitman.

If you really want to see how innovative a school is, inquire about its thinking and
practices regarding assessment. For the students, does the mere thought of assessment
trigger stress? Do the teachers rely heavily on high-stakes, multiple-choice, Bell
Curve-generating tests? Or do the students seem relaxed and engaged as teachers
experiment with new forms of assessment designed to support deep and lasting
learning?

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The growing field of educational neuroscience, converging developmental psychology,
cognitive science, and education, can help teachers and school leaders rethink how
they approach assessments. While some of its initial findings merely support what
educators have intuitively believed, it is also challenging many assumptions and
providing new insight into best educational practices, especially regarding assessment.

What we do know is that a plethora of assessment-related research has shed light not
just on the importance of students' mindsets, but also on the importance of continual
feedback and how active retrieval of information, in carefully spaced intervals, can
produce long-lasting learning. Research also shows that providing students with
choice enhances attention and engagement -- and confirms that the arts can help
deepen long-term memory consolidation (Hardiman).

Specifically, the following research is helping to change our understanding of the

correlation between teaching and learning -- and altering our approaches to student
assessment.

Mindsets: Performance vs. Mastery Goals

Research on the connection between motivation and learning has focused on two types
of mindsets that students develop, based on the kind of experiences (including
assessments) we present them with in school. Students tend to develop either
performance-related goals or mastery goals (Ames & Archer).

Performance-related goals are those linked to more traditional types of assessments.

Students become motivated by the grades they achieve, their rankings compared to
other students, and extrinsic rewards such as honor rolls or school awards. In contrast,
students who develop mastery goals are motivated by the actual learning experiences.
Their rewards arise from the challenges of acquiring and applying new knowledge and
skills.

While students may possess a combination of both types of goals, those motivated
primarily by performance goals tend to lose motivation and confidence when faced
with difficult academic challenges or when set back by failures. In contrast, students
who are motivated by mastery goals are more likely to persevere in the face of such
challenges. Difficult tasks or setbacks do not diminish their motivation or self-esteem
(Pintrich; Grant & Dweck). Students with mastery goals mindsets are more likely to
choose more difficult but rewarding ways to demonstrate learning.

Feedback on Performance
Another focal point of research is the timeliness and method of providing feedback to
students. Timely feedback has been shown to deepen one's memory for the material
assessed (Pashler, Cepeda, Wixted, & Rohrer). Moreover, in a study comparing
immediate versus delayed feedback, the mere anticipation of timely feedback
produced better performance. Students who knew that they would get immediate
feedback performed better on a task than those who were told that feedback would be
delayed (Kettle & Häubl). Finally, studies suggest that marking answers right or
wrong (as in multiple choice tests) has little effect on learning. However, providing
the correct response only after a student has spent time "struggling" to find the correct
answer significantly increases retention of the material (Fazio, Huesler, Johnson, &
Marsh).

Researchers have also discovered that the spacing of assessments and feedback
produces more effective learning. If students revisit content over carefully spaced
intervals, they retain information longer than if presented with information once and
then only assessed immediately after initial (short-term) mastery (Kornell, Castel,
Eich, & Bjork).

These findings, among others, show us the reciprocal relationship between assessment
and learning. Providing timely and effective feedback can improve students' mastery
of the content and produce more efficient -- and satisfying -- learning experiences.

Active Retrieval of Information

A growing body of research suggests that actively retrieving information produces
significant long-term benefits for learning compared to passive studying (Karpicke &
Roediger). While any assessment requires some type of active retrieval, having
students reconstruct what they know through alternative assessments leads to deeper
understanding and consolidates learning in more powerful ways than traditional
testing (Karpicke & Blunt).

Active retrieval is also crucial as students prepare for assessments. Too often, when
we ask students to reflect on their study strategies, they say they simply reread class
notes. Training students to build regular self-testing into their study strategies will
help them embed material into their long-term memory (Kornell & Son).

From Theory to Practice

Moving neuroscientific research on assessment into classroom practice faces two
barriers. First, despite the fact that the work of educators targets the organ of learning,
the brain, most teachers and school leaders have little understanding of the
architecture of the brain and how it receives, filters, and applies information. Second,
work that falls under the various versions of "brain-based" is too often believed to be
of greatest benefit to struggling learners, those who historically might be called
"learning challenged." Such thinking is short-sighted and fails to recognize the
importance of research in educational neuroscience for all students.

But what teachers assess should be what teachers want students to know, not just for
an upcoming test, but also for the long term. And how we assess students has
important implications for whether they will retain content or procedural knowledge
for the short or long term. Far too often, as neuropsychology professor Tracey
Tokuhama-Espinosa pointed out in 2010, "While students manage to keep enough
dates, facts, and formulas in their head to pass the test, this knowledge never made it
to long-term declarative memory, it was never truly learned at all (only memorized in
the short term)." Research in educational neuroscience, therefore, should not only
inform the types of assessments teachers give students, but also help shape the
strategies students use to prepare for assessments, or to work through projects.
How can all this research impact assessment at your school? Every year, we need to
assess every student in multiple, developmentally appropriate ways. That was the
impetus for "Assessment Tic-Tac-Toe ." (Note: link downloads a 60 KB pdf.) This is
what differentiated assessment means. Some assessments will play to a student's
strength while others will pose significant challenges; some assessments will,
wonderfully, do both.

View chapter Purchase book

Health Technology, Quality, Law, and Ethics
Theodore H. Tulchinsky MD, MPH, Elena A. Varavikova MD, MPH, PhD, in The New Public
Health (Third Edition), 2014
Technology Assessment in National Health Systems
Technology assessment requires an organization within the framework of national regulatory
agencies. The FDA serves this purpose as a statutory body within the US Public Health Service.
Sweden, Canada, Australia, the UK, the Netherlands, Spain, and other countries also have
technology assessment advisory or regulatory agencies established by national governments to
monitor and examine new technologies as they appear. Sweden has a widely representative
national Swedish Council for Technology Assessment in Health Care which has an advisory role
to the national health authorities.
The processes used in traditional systems to regulate food and drugs for efficacy, safety, and cost
are more recently being applied to new medical devices and procedures. The unrestricted
proliferation of new procedures presents serious dilemmas for national agencies concerned with
financing health care and controlling cost increases. Non-governmental health insurance shares
this concern, as does industry, which bears much of the cost of health insurance through
negotiated, collective bargaining, “voluntary” health insurance in the USA. Most industrialized
countries have national health services or national health insurance and are thus vitally interested
in health costs and technology assessment. Many industrialized countries maintain technology
assessment and cost-control activities. In the USA, the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality (AHRQ) maintains oversight and studies related to clinical information, including
evidence-based practice, outcomes and effectiveness, comparative clinical effectiveness, risks
and benefits, and preventive services.
In Canada, the Health Protection Branch of the Federal Department of Health reviews medical
devices and drugs and, with consent of the provincial governments, approves new medical
procedures. Concern by governments over the cost implications of new procedures led to this
practice. Since 1988, a network of government and professional bodies has formed a non-profit
agency for technology assessment (Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health,
CADTH). This supports the provincial administration of health insurance in resisting
professional, commercial, or political pressures to add untested technology or procedures to the
health system as covered benefits. A comparison of rates of procedure performance between
provinces shows very high discrepancies, as high as two-fold, in procedures such as coronary
artery bypass graft or prostatectomy. Control of acquisition of high-tech equipment by national
or state authorities is essential to prevent expenditures on high-cost equipment without adequate
assessment.
Read full chapter View PDFDownload book
Advanced Health Technology Management Workshop
Thomas M. Judd, ... James O. Wear, in Clinical Engineering Handbook, 2004
Macro Technology Assessment and Strategic Planning
Macro technology assessment includes evaluation of safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness of
new procedures and equipment. It is appropriate in developing countries, and needs to be done to
ensure “evidence-based” decision making. It creates a bridge between science and decision
making and is the only real contribution towards sustainability. Questions to consider are when
new technologies should be adopted and older ones replaced, which clinical services should be
offered to address the needs of the patient population, and what changes should be introduced to
the existing clinical services. Good sources of information on technology assessment include
ECRI (www.ecri.org) and the International Society of Technology Assessment in Health Care
(ISTAHC).
View chapter Purchase book
Medical Device Research and Design
Åke Öberg, in Clinical Engineering Handbook, 2004
Technology Assessment
Technology assessment includes analysis of problems relating to product technology as well as
production technology. Product technology assessment is particularly important for medical
products in the clinical environment. Of course, safety considerations are greatly important. The
technical design of a medical device must comply with existing national and international
standards and regulations. Accepted design principles must be used.
The involvement of external persons who are not familiar with the project is an important part of
technology assessment. Such individuals are valuable for conducting tests and giving user
feedback. Such an involvement often results in major improvements in the design and
functionality of a device. Technology assessment of a small number of devices (e.g., 5 to 10) in
“the real world” of hospitals and clinics often will affect the final design of the product in a
decisive way.

Involvement of “external” persons in product assessment must include some type of protection in
terms of a secrecy declaration or contract (nondisclosure or confidentiality agreement) in which
the involved person is prohibited from revealing or utilizing the knowledge obtained during their
evaluation work.

The assessment of production technology problems is important before mass production starts.
The choice of proper production technologies can strongly affect the market price of a product. If
new production equipment must be set up, then large investments might be necessary, and they
would affect the economy of the whole project. If a long production run of many devices is
contemplated, a production technology-oriented design will result in large savings, particularly
for an inventor in a university or hospital environment, who usually does not have extensive
experience in industrial production techniques. The initiation of close and early collaboration
between the inventor and the final (industrial) producer of the device is strongly recommended.
Such collaboration often shortens the route to the market considerably and can reduce production
costs.

View chapter Purchase book

The Health Economics for Regenerative Medicine: How Payers Think and What That Means for
Developers
C. McCabe, T. Bubela, in Mesenchymal Stromal Cells, 2017
Abstract
Health technology assessment is an increasingly important part of the path to market for new
technologies. The objective analytic methods and approaches to considering evidence are
radically different to those adopted by regulatory authorities such as the Food and Drug
Administration and European Medicines Agency. Developers who do not understand health
technology assessment risk receiving regulatory approval for their technology only to find that
they cannot command the price required to make a commercial return on their investment;
Prochymal being only one example of many among early regenerative medicine products. In this
chapter, we describe the paradigm of health technology assessment, with a specific focus on the
use of economic evaluation to inform reimbursement decisions. We then consider the challenges
that regenerative medicines are likely to face in achieving reimbursement and how developers
can incorporate the objective of meeting reimbursement decision criteria into the design of the
research and development programme.
View chapter Purchase book
Pharmacoeconomics of Pharmacogenetics within the Context of General Health Technology
Assessments
Maarten J. Postma, ... L. Annemans, in Pharmacogenomics, 2013
Health technology assessment (HTA) is essentially a comparative analysis of two or more
interventions with respect to benefits and costs. Demanding structured and generic HTA is
considered an option to achieve the combined goals of increasing quality of care and access to
care while controlling expenses. HTA uses evidence-based medicine techniques and is based on
sets of guidelines for methodologies to be used (www.ispor.org). As a result, the reimbursement
environment is often stringent, both at the central as well as local health care insurance and
hospital levels. For instance, in the Netherlands, the implementation of technology assessment,
including pharmacoeconomic analysis, has resulted in the denial of various potentially
innovative pharmacotherapeutic technologies for reimbursement (taken from the website
www.cvz.nl, HPV vaccine, rotavirus vaccine, ivabradine, oseltamivir, entecavir, and rasagiline
may serve as some examples). Further examples of recent innovative therapies that have gone
through HTA in western countries include various new antithrombotic therapies, antimicrobial
agents, psychotropic drugs, and orphan drugs [1–3].
View chapter Purchase book
Health Technology Assessment
R.E. Ashcroft, in Encyclopedia of Applied Ethics (Second Edition), 2012
Abstract
Health technology assessment (HTA) is the systematic empirical assessment for effectiveness,
cost-effectiveness, and community acceptability of health technologies (including drugs, devices,
and organization of care). HTA shapes policy and practice through primary research, research
synthesis, and audit of practice and implementation. The ethics of HTA is in part research ethics
and in part the ethics of health policy, particularly the ethics of resource allocation. The ethics of
HTA as a policymaking tool are particularly important and concerns what is done with HTA
findings and how assessments are framed and applied.
Technology Assessment Agencies
Technology assessment is the practical process of determining the value of a new or emerging
technology in and of itself or against existing or competing technologies, using safety, efficacy,
effectiveness, outcome, risk management, strategic, financial, and competitive criteria.
Technology assessment also considers ethics and law as well as health priorities and cost-
effectiveness compared to competing technologies. A “technology” is defined as devices,
equipment, related software, drugs, biotechnologies, procedures, and therapies; and systems used
to diagnose, treat, or monitor patients. The technology assessment process is discussed in
Chapters 30, 32, and 33.
Technology assessment is not the same as technology acquisition/procurement or technology
planning. The last two are processes for determining equipment vendors, soliciting bids, and
systematically determining a hospital's technology-related needs based on strategic, financial,
risk management, and clinical criteria. The informational needs differ greatly between
technology assessment and the acquisition/procurement or planning processes. This section
focuses on the resources that are applicable to technology assessment.

Worldwide, there are nearly 400 organizations (private, academic, and governmental) that
provide technology assessment information, databases, or consulting services. Some are strictly
information clearinghouses, some perform technology assessment, and some do both. For those
that perform assessments, the quality of the information generated varies greatly from superficial
studies to in-depth, well-referenced analytical reports. In 1997, the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), formerly known as
the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, designated 12 “Evidence-based Practice
Centers” (EPC) to undertake major technology assessment studies on a contract basis. Each of
these EPCs is noted in the list below, and general descriptions of each center may be viewed on
the AHRQ's web site: http://www.ahcpr.gov/clinic/epc.
Language limitations are a significant issue. In the final analysis, the ability to undertake
technology assessment requires assimilating vast amounts of information, most of which exists
only in the English language. Technology assessment studies published by the International
Society for Technology Assessment in Health Care (ISTAHC), by the World Health
Organization, and other umbrella organizations are generally written in English. The new
International Health Technology Assessment database being developed by ECRI in conjunction
with the U.S. National Library of Medicine contains more than 30,000 citations to technology
assessments and related documents.
Below are the names, mailing addresses, and web addresses of some of the most prominent
organizations that undertake

TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT PROGRAMS (CME MEANING Canadian manufacturing

exporters)
OVERVIEW
Investing in new productive assets and technology is critical to keep manufacturers competitive.
Over 40% of manufacturers identify uncertain return on investment as the main reason why they
are not investing in new technology. CME’s Technology Asessment Program helps companies
understand what technologies are best suited for their needs and provides greater certainty on
their investments.

A SOLUTION TO HELP SMES

The Technology Assessment Program connects SME’s manufacturers in southern Ontario
(Wellington, Toronto, Bruce, Grey, Hamilton, Lambton, Niagara, Northumberland, York etc.,)
manufacturers with qualified experts to get customized technology assessments (up to $25,000 in
reimbursable funds).

CME’s Technology Assessment Program qualified assessors will work on-site with companies to
create a customized plan on how they can improve productivity by capitalizing on existing assets
and implement the latest advanced manufacturing technologies including hardware, software,
and cloud computing.

Upon completion of the assessment, the qualified expert will recommend an action plan that will
enable your business to make informed decisions to assess, purchase, adopt, implement, train and
maintain new technologies.

A VIRTUOUS CYCLE OF INVESTMENT

Strategic investment in innovation and technology adoption is the starting point on a virtuous
cycle that ultimately leads to more output, employment and economic growth. Innovation and
investment in new technologies improve business productivity helping businesses become more
competitive. These businesses attract more production mandates and capture more market share,
resulting in higher output and exports. Higher output leads to greater firm profitability, which
leaves businesses with more money to invest in innovation and new technologies.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION

Lower Operating Costs

Digitization opens the door to the collection of data that can be mined to identify efficiencies in
existing operations, decrease downtime, and monitor and guide production activity.

Increased Product Quality

Advanced technologies can help to root out errors and deficiencies in production, boost quality
control, and lead to overall improvements in the production process.

Higher Innovation Capacity

Technologies like 3D printing and rapid prototyping speed innovation cycles and can unlock new
abilities and capacity that were previously unavailable to producers.

Increased Customer Satisfaction

Digitization and advanced technology use can increase customer satisfaction by decreasing
response times, creating more specialization and customization opportunities, and improving
product quality.