Multidimensional and multidisciplinary features of Hospital-Based Health Technology Assessment: which role for the controller?
Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is a multidisciplinary and multidimensional methodology for assessing the life cycle consequences of health technologies.
When applied in organisations, such multidimensionality requires the creation of multidisciplinary teams. Among the different professionals involved, controllers are key to performing economic evaluations. However, studies investigating the interaction of controllers within or with the HTA commissions are limited, especially in Italy.
This research investigates the role of controllers in supporting the multidimensionality and multidisciplinarity of HTA, through two questionnaires distributed to commission members and controllers in public hospitals in the Lombardy region.
Results show that controllers are generally excluded from HTA commissions, and although economic evaluations are frequently performed, they are left to clinical engineers or pharmacists. The lack of controllers’ involvement in HTA raises questions and requires further reflection on the potential contribution of these professionals.
Keywords: Hospital-based Health Technology Assessment (HB-HTA), Controllers, Hospital, Survey, Italy.
