Technology assessment in biomedical research: dialysis and transplantation as cases in point.
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The influence of high cost technology goes beyond its consequences for the selected patient groups that benefit from its application. Past and future technological developments have a variety of social, economic and ethical implications which have to be taken into account when balancing its costs and benefits to society. Departing from an economic perspective we describe a number of mechanisms underlying the emergence of high cost technology which help us to understand some of the characteristics of high cost technology, such as its focus on quality enhancement rather than on economy. To assess the actual performance of high cost technology in terms of efficiency and equity is difficult as there may be debate about the perspective guiding such assessment and as there still is scarce information on high cost technology in terms of these economic indicators. The increasing technological opportunities have triggered a wider debate on the desired evolution of our health care systems. In some countries there is a tendency to diminish government involvement in health care and emphasize private (for profit) enterprise as a reaction to not being able to finance all new high cost technology. The risks of such strategies are discussed briefly. We conclude that the main actors in health care should adjust their behaviour in order to accomplish the introduction of more cost-effective technologies and to achieve a more socially efficient distribution of their benefits.
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Leland Kaiser, a noted health care futurist, asserts that, to the degree to which medical technology can improve human life, there is no limit. Likewise, there is no limit to the amount of money people will be willing to spend on this technology. The ASLMS is at the focal point of the debate and needs to make its voice heard clearly based on a well thought out plan, based on reliable data, and considerate of the various economic, social, legal, and ethical constraints placed on the practicing clinician. If we don't take hold of the process, the technological imperative will quickly overwhelm us.
On May 26-27, 1991, an International Workshop on the Technology Assessment of PACS was held at Enkhuizen, The Netherlands. During this workshop 35 experts in the field, from 13 different countries, discussed amongst others the required functionality of PACS, diagnostic aspects and the quality of care and organizational aspects. The key question was whether, when and how PACS is feasible, both from a financial and a clinical point of view. Data which were collected with the aid of the software tool CAPACITY formed the starting point of this meeting. This paper gives an outline of the discussions during this workshop. The main conclusion is that more clinical research is needed, to get a better insight into the costs and the clinical benefits of PACS. Because of the high costs of the PACS technology, international cooperation in this field is requested. It is recommended that the CAPACITY project, which is set up to stimulate the international dialogue and data exchange on PACS, is continued.
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An assessment of total parenteral nutrition (TPN), a high-cost, high-risk technology, is used to illustrate the importance of technology assessment to quality assessment. A review of the literature suggests that TPN is only sometimes effective and that it actually produces measurable harm by increasing complication rates in certain groups of patients. However, there are strong advocates for its use. The economic and ethical implications of TPN for the quality of care are also discussed at the levels both of the individual and of society. Continuous assessment of health care technologies, particularly those that are high-cost and high-risk, is critical to the overall quality of health care.
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The contrasting cycles of changing caries prevalence in developing and industrialized countries are described, as they relate to differing needs in technology. Using this contrast as a background, the selective needs for technology in measurement, adequate quality of treatment and materials, appropriate personnel, and simplicity and mobility in equipment are discussed.
This article reviews the development, composition, chemistry, recent technological advances, and extent of use of composite resin restorative materials, adhesives, and pit and fissure sealants. The problems related to the clinical behavior of these materials in the oral environment are dealt with, and methods of minimizing their present deficiencies are suggested. Future directions that might be taken to improve these materials and solve some of the inadequacies that these materials exhibit are also discussed.
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Drugs have a central place among medical technologies, and medical technology assessment can learn from the established regulation of drug technology. This article outlines how users' experiences are not part of the basis on which decisions are made today, although this knowledge is imperative for identifying the problems that are not uncovered or foreseen by today's drug assessments. Further, users' interests might not be part of assessments that are based on the controlled clinical trial. A framework for drug technology assessments based on a user perspective is suggested.
There is a growing conviction that medical technologies are major contributors to escalating costs, and regulating them is generally viewed as the least contentious way to control expenses in the 1980's. Five forms of technology control are being discussed or developed. All aim to reduce costs by controlling big, expensive technologies in the class of computed tomographic (CT) scanning. We present evidence that technologies such as the CT scanner account for far less of the growth in medical expenditures than do the collective expenses of thousands of small tests and procedures. Furthermore, we suggest that each strategy for controlling large technology involves substantial practical and conceptual problems that would severely limit its effectiveness. We thus suggest a shift away from attempts to harness the big technologies, and toward incentives to encourage the more discerning use of all technologies. To this end, we propose changes in physician reimbursement and education and expanded insurance incentives to encourage physicians and hospitals to be more selective in the use of technology.
Promising new technologies have to be carefully analyzed before their integration into clinical practice. Moreover, the existing technologies need to be confronted with the new ones in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. Logical guidelines for both clinical and economic evaluation are described in the present review paper which mainly deals with diagnostic technology. All the proposed steps are not instrumental for each technology assessment but they provide a more rational approach to the acceptance and diffusion of technology.
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High technology has introduced a new dimension to medical treatment. There are inevitable social costs as well as benefits, and the allocation of resources to high technology, as opposed to other areas of health care, is a contentious issue. The current balance in health service funding between high technology and low technology is not appropriate. It is driven by the technological imperative and only offers solutions to a limited number of problems. There is a scarcity of health resources left to develop intersectoral responses and provide adequate funding for research into person-intensive interventions suitable for many problems. Arguments against allocating too many resources to high technology in paediatrics are examined in this paper.