INTRODUCTION TO MINI-HTA

Introduction to mini-HTA – a management and decision support tool for the hospital service

Prepared by a project group under DACEHTA of the Danish National Board of Health with representatives from the DACEHTA, the HTA unit at Aarhus University Hospital, Odense University Hospital, and Copenhagen Hospital Corporation

Editors: Danish Centre for Evaluation and Health Technology Assessment (DACEHTA)

The National Board of Health

Islands Brygge 67 DK-2300 Copenhagen S url: http://www.sst.dk/

In cooperation with local HTA environments, the Danish Centre for Evaluation and Health Technology Assessment (DACEHTA) has developed a flexible decision support tool, which can be used by hospital managements locally and regionally when contemplating the introduction of new health technology. This publication introduces the decision support tool, which is based on a form and an accompanying guide. The tool is called mini-HTA as it is based on the reasoning involved in health technology assessments (HTA). The work of developing a national mini-HTA has been carried out by a project group and is to a high degree based on results and inspiration from a survey using a questionnaire about the experience of decision support tools in all Danish hospitals. DACEHTA would like to take the opportunity to thank the project group and everyone who has contributed to the final result. Mini-HTA is intended as a flexible and dynamic tool adaptable to local conditions and the current requirements of decision-makers – which means that it can relatively easily be incorporated into the local and regional budget and planning processes. Where the problem or the application extends beyond a specific local context, however, the mini-HTA cannot replace a full-size HTA. In DACEHTA we hope that hospital managers, county health directors, and heads of clinical departments around the country will be able to use this national tool as structured assistance in making qualified decisions about the appropriate use of resources.

Danish Centre for Evaluation and Health Technology Assessment

September 2005

Finn Børlum Kristense

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