DEFINING EARLY HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT: BUILDING CONSENSUS USING DELPHI TECHNIQUE

In this paper we have reported a five-stage process, including a two-round Delphi survey that developed and reached consensus on a definition of early HTA, which is “a health technology assessment conducted to inform decisions about subsequent development, research and/or investment by explicitly evaluating the potential value of a conceptual or actual health technology.” By providing a consensus-driven definition of early HTA, we hope to enhance uniformity and harmonisation of terminology. In addition, we hope to lay the foundation for more discussion, research and methods development in this important field.