Patient involvement in HTA processes: Anticipating the impact of the JCA
A: The role of patientcentricity in HTA and the upcoming JCA framework
HTA is a multidisciplinary process that evaluates the medical, economic, social, and ethical properties of health technologies and interventions to inform decision making about their adoption, funding, and use within healthcare settings. This includes pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and procedures.
It is a systematic and transparent process that aims to bridge the gap between research and policy-making. The process provides evidence-based assessments of the value and impact of health technologies on patient outcomes, healthcare costs, and society as a whole.
In this whitepaper, we will cover the following key points:
The importance of standardised patient engagement in European HTAs and the associated challenges and opportunities in its implementation.
- Introducing the new standardisation framework for patient involvement in the JCA process.
- The key principles and criteria for assessing the quality of patient involvement in HTAs.
- Essential strategic considerations for enhancing patient involvement in the HTA process.
Patients, caregivers, and families possess unique perspectives rooted in personal experiences, offering insights into benefits, risks, and quality-of-life impacts, without a need for technical knowledge in research and development or regulatory processes.
As defined by EUPATI (European Patients’ Academy on Therapeutic Innovation), patients are individuals with personal experience of living with a disease. By sharing their subjective accounts of disease and treatment, patients provide a valuable perspective rooted in their daily experiences and the impact of treatments on their lives2.
Valuable insights
Patients can provide valuable information on the benefits, risks, and impact on the quality of life of health technologies.
Responsiveness to patient needs
Patient involvement ensures that HTA decisions align with patient needs and preferences, leading to informed decision-making.
Fostering trust
Engaging patients fosters trust and long-term relationships between patients and the healthcare system.
Currently, there is a disparity in patient involvement in HTAs across Europe, with some countries having transparent frameworks and others lacking any information. To address this the JCA framework, a new process for HTAs, will be implemented in 2025. This aims to standardise patient and patient organisation involvement in assessing the clinical effectiveness and added therapeutic value of new medicines in the EU.
