The opinion of practitioners and internists on the impact of new health technologies

Espallargues M, Moharra M, de Sol-Morales O, Teb C
Record ID 32006000311
Catalan, English, Spanish
Authors' objectives:

The aim of this overview was to find out how generalist physicians from different settings assessed the impact on patients' health of Health Technologies (HT) introduced in the last 25 years.

Authors' results and conclusions: Forty-nine (49) physicians (53% of the total) answered, 25 hospital internists and 24 GPs. Instrumental technologies, such as imaging diagnosis and coronary angioplasty, were the most highly-rated for their impact on patients health (average score >0.76 on a scale from 0 (lowest possible impact) to 1 (greatest possible impact). The lowest impact would be caused by the disappearance of different drugs (average score <0.43). Globally, ultrasound was the most highly-rated HT and oral hypoglycaemic agents the least positively rated, with an average impact score of 0.878 and 0.098, respectively. Differences were also observed in the impact assessment of some HT according to the participants practice setting (hospital/primary care), especially in diagnostic technologies (Spearman coefficient of correlation of r=0.64 between rankings of mean impact scores) as compared to treatment technologies (r=0.81). Cephalosporins, early fibrinolysis, gastrointestinal endoscopy and ultrasound were best rated for their positive impact on health by hospital internists as opposed to the GPs (p<0.005). The opposite occurred with the mammography, glycosylated haemoglobin, tamoxifen and bone-marrow transplant (p<0.05). Although impact assessments were similar when compared according to other professional and health-care characteristics of the interviewees, substantial variability was observed in the responses. This variability was greatest between physicians who graduated after 1981 compared to the more experienced ones.
Authors' recommendations: The rankings were very similar across subgroups of respondents, although HT impact assessments from hospital and PC physicians differed particularly for diagnostic technologies. This could be explained by differences in their accessibility or by the different needs of attended population. Variability in responses, however, was more related with some personal characteristics (maybe due to experience) than to professional/practice setting.
Details
Project Status: Completed
Year Published: 2006
English language abstract: An English language summary is available
Publication Type: Not Assigned
Country: Spain
MeSH Terms
  • Diffusion of Innovation
  • Biomedical Technology
  • Attitude of Health Personnel
  • Physicians
  • Health Impact Assessment
  • Treatment Outcome
Contact
Organisation Name: Agencia de Qualitat i Avaluacio Sanitries de Catalunya
Contact Address: Antoni Parada, CAHTA, Roc Boronat, 81-95 (2nd floor), 08005 Barcelona, Spain, Tel. +34 935 513 928, Fax: +34 935 517 510
Contact Name: direccio@aatrm.catsalut.net / aparada@aatrm.catsalut.net
Contact Email: direccio@aatrm.catsalut.net / aparada@aatrm.catsalut.net
Copyright: Catalan Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Research (CAHTA)
This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment from a member of INAHTA or other HTA producer. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database.