Module 3: Debate Forum No.

3:
“Evaluation of health technologies”

Karina Nataly García Gamarra

Topic of discussion

In a paragraph of at least five lines, indicate what types of health technologies can
be valued through the different types of analysis of health economic evaluation and
what types of analysis should be the most appropriate.

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is the systematic process of valuing the properties,
effects and/or impacts of health technology; It must consider the medical, social, ethical
and economic dimensions and its main objective is to provide information to be applied to
decision-making in the field of health.

These evaluations focus on aspects such as level of benefits and effectiveness, clinical
and technical safety, and cost-effectiveness.

The ETS has been used to define what benefits to include in the health system based on
evidence from previous evaluations. Generally, new technologies are more expensive than
old ones, which contributes to higher health expenditures. In this context, the ETS process
ensures that a technology is not implemented until its effectiveness is proven. On the other
hand, a technology is not eliminated from the service package until its ineffectiveness or
poor cost-effectiveness ratio is demonstrated.

According to the WHO, HTA refers to systematic evaluation of properties, effects, and/or
impacts of health technologies. Its main objective is to provide quality evidence to support
decision making, and therefore improve the incorporation of new technologies that are also
cost-effective, thus avoiding the incorporation of technologies that are of dubious value for
the health system. . 1

ETS also involves quality aspects and the role of new technologies in obtaining better
results. PAHO supports HTA activities that emphasize health scenarios that can be
measured against a certain reference point. 2

In the Peruvian case, it is the Ministry of Health that has a health technology evaluation
team called: DIGEMID, which is the General Directorate of Medicines, Supplies and Drugs
whose purpose is to have timely information, based on evidence of effectiveness, safety
and costs. , for decision making, with Health Technology Assessment (HTA) as the focal
point. 3
Types of health technologies:

 pharmaceutical product
 Device - medical equipment
 Diagnostic test
 Health interventions
 Health information technologies
 Diagnostic and surgical procedures

Most common types of Health Economic Evaluation (EES) studies:

 Studies of the Cost or burden of the disease (prevalence approach)

 Study of the cost of illness (incidence approach)
 Cost minimization
 Cost-benefit analysis
 Cost-effectiveness analysis
 Cost-utility analysis

Within these types of study, I consider the most pertinent that of Cost-effectiveness since it
is focused not only on the expected result but also on the pertinent and efficient use of the
resources to be used.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

1. Health Technology Assessment (HTA). Pan American Health Organization. OPS

https://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9229:2013-
tecnologias-sanitarias&Itemid=41687&lang=es

2. Salgado K, Salazar U, Gallo V, et al. Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness

of a comprehensive outpatient treatment model in patients with acute
coronary syndrome: application of a probabilistic Markov model. Rev
Panam Public Health 42, 2018.

3. Evaluation of health technologies. Health technology assessment

team. 2018. Available in:
http://www.digemid.minsa.gob.pe/Main.asp?seccion=817