의료기술평가의 국민참여 동향과 시사점

Abstract

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) has contributed to recent advancements in healthcare; the concept of EBM includes Patient and Public Involvement (PPI), along with the best research evidence and clinical expertise. That is, to provide the best healthcare services, it is necessary to consider patients’ experiences and emotion as a consumer of healthcare services, together with clinicians’ competency. Therefore, PPI is required for EBM. This paper aims to examine the international trends and the implication of public involvement in healthcare technology assessment (HTA) that is considered the system based on EBM. In the process of various research and analysis related to technology assessment in healthcare, patients and public can provide part of evidence as participants in interviews, questionnaires, other forms of consultation and qualitative research. In detail, it is possible to provide a perspective on social implications for specific health conditions, diseases, and treatments, along with knowledge by experiences and burden of disease, diagnosis and treatment, treatment route, cost-effectiveness analysis, etc. In the UK’s National Institute for Health Research, it is recommended that patients and public engage in the entire cycle of conducting the research, and deriving and utilizing the research results, starting from a planning stage such as identifying research topics. PPI in the specialized area such as healthcare can provide unique and valuable insights, as they are users of healthcare services and payers of healthcare costs. Additionally, they contribute to cost saving by providing effective and reliable advices when designing, implementing, and evaluating the research. With an open awareness of embracing various perspectives on decision-making in the process of HTA, PPI has great implications on establishing roles and functions of HTA for developing the national healthcare system by ensuring appropriate medical coverage and medical services.