Health technology assessment and health policy-making in Europe. Current status, challenges and potential (2008)

By Marcial Velasco Garrido, Finn Børlum Kristensen, Camilla Palmhøj Nielsen and Reinhard Busse
2008, xiv + 181 pages
ISBN 978 92 890 4293 2
CHF 40.00
In developing countries CHF 28.00
Order no. 13400082

Highly commended in the 2009 BMA Medical Book Competition, public health category

New technologies with the potential to improve the health of populations are continuously being introduced. But not every technological development results in clear health gains. Health technology assessment provides evidence-based information on the coverage and usage of health technologies, enabling them to be evaluated properly and applied to health care efficaciously, promoting the most effective ones while also taking into account organizational, societal and ethical issues.

This book reviews the relationship between health technology assessment and policy-making, and examines how to increase the contribution such research makes to policy- and decision-making processes. By communicating the value and potential of health technology assessment to a wider audience, both within and beyond decision-making and health care management, it aims ultimately to contribute to improving the health status of the population through the delivery of optimum health services.