Title
The ethics of assessing health technologies
Author
van der Wilt, G.J.
Reuzel, R.
Banta, H.D.
TNO Preventie en Gezondheid
Publication year
2000
Abstract
Health technology assessment (HTA) consists of the systematic study of the consequences of the introduction or continued use of the technology in a particular context, with the explicit objective to arrive at a judgment of the value or merit of the technology. Ideally, it is aimed at assessing all aspects of a given technology or group of technologies, including non-technical, e.g. socio-ethical, aspects. However, methods for assessing socio-ethical implications of health technology are relatively undeveloped and few mechanisms exist to take action based on the results of such evaluations. Still, the examples of cochlear inplants (CI) and other cases illustrate that HTA is not a matter of merely collecting the facts about a technology. The facts must be plausible and relevant from a particular framework, which is not always shared by different groups. It is here that socio-ethical aspects are encountered. If health technology assessment aims to enhance the accountability of the decision making process regarding funding and use of health technology, it is a major challenge to assessor of health technologies to deal adequately with existing value pluralism. In this respect interactive evaluation may have something to offer.
Subject
Health
Cochlear implantation
Ethics
Health technology assessment
Interactive evaluation
Biomedical technology assessment
Child
Cochlea prosthesis
Hearing impairment
Implantation
Medical decision making
Medical ethics
School child
Social desirability
Treatment outcome
Validation process
Accountability
Analytical Approach
Cultural Pluralism
Evaluation
Health Care and Public Health
Medical Devices
Risks And Benefits
Technology Assessment
Values
Beneficence
Cochlear Implants
Cultural Diversity
Ethics
Humans
Risk Assessment
Social Responsibility
Social Values
Technology Assessment, Biomedical
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:a108dbb5-a32d-46cd-87e5-d1f558007d86
TNO identifier
235624
ISSN
1386-7415
Source
Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, 21 (1), 103-115
Document type
article