Authors' objectives:

To develop a method of economic evaluation and triage for research prioritisation, before the funding decision.

Authors' recommendations: The PATHS model has a useful part to play in the research prioritisation process. Its strengths lie in its emphasis on the impact of research results on policy and practice (the keystone for NHS research) and net effects on health benefits and costs. It assesses the cost-effectiveness of the research and may identify ways to enhance the research design, endpoints relevant to implementation, analytical methods and dissemination. Further research is recommended to investigate the scope for synthesising the strengths ofthe PATHS model with other approaches including value of information; to compare ex ante and immediate ex post assessments of implementation with long term follow-up of actual implementation; and to assess the robustness of such approaches to the choice and number of experts used.

Project Status: Completed

URL for project: http://www.hta.ac.uk/971

Year Published: 2003

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: England, United Kingdom

Organisation Name: NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme

Contact Address: NIHR Journals Library, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre, Alpha House, University of Southampton Science Park, Southampton SO16 7NS, UK

Contact Name: journals.library@nihr.ac.uk

Contact Email: journals.library@nihr.ac.uk

Copyright: 2009 Queen's Printer and Controller of HMSO