Introduction :
New health technology has important ethical and social justice implications that are not adequately addressed by the health technology assessment (HTA) processes currently used to inform decision making in high, middle and low income countries. Current HTA processes provide little or no information about who gains and who loses from new health technologies – for example, by socioeconomic status, ethnicity, location, gender, age, disability, severity of illness and other equity-relevant variables. More equity-oriented approaches to HTA are required, now that health equity has risen high on policy agendas across the world in the wake of the universal health coverage movement and successive landmark reports on health inequality.
Our workshop will bring together world-leading ethicists, economists and health technology assessment policy advisers to discuss this challenge and develop practical solutions. We aim to synthesise methodological work in this area by a variety of leading research groups, and to crystallise and disseminate our findings into practical guidance for health technology assessment analysts and policy-makers in the form of (1) a short journal article providing a summary consensus statement, and (2) an edited handbook providing more detailed guidance.
Our HTA guidance products will help analysts to furnish decision makers with the evidence they need to advance health equity while containing costs, improving quality and pursuing their other policy goals. Our long-term vision is to help re-shape the tools of health technology assessment to address equity implications and thereby help achieve fairer decisions and better health for all across the globe.