Paper short abstract:

Health Technology Assesment is increasingly incorporating public participation in the evaluation of new technologies. This paper explores in which ways public is being involved in the assesment process.

Paper long abstract:

Health Technology Assesment (HTA) evaluates new technologies, including diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, technical dispositives, medical equipment, prevention and rehabilitation programmes to inform policy decision making. HTA are a good example of the relationship of new modes of citizenship. HTA use standardized methods and expert (mainly clinicians) consensus to synthesise information on clinical, economic, social, ethical and organizational implications of the technology. Increasingly, HTA is starting to include public participation mainly in 3 ways. In the first place, asking the public to identify and prioritize technologies to asses. Secondly, incorporating patient perspective through their experiential knowledge. and finally, contributing to the process of evaluation from the problem formulation to the definition of the relevant expected outcomes, to reference values and care preference. Logics behind this increasing involvement speak about transparency, democracy, but also cost-effectiveness. Used methodologies go from virtual consultations, consensus techniques to qualitative studies. Public involved include patient association representants, lay patients, carers, expert patients and, general public. The objective of this communication is to explore and conceptualize public participation in HTA through literature and explore what could it learn from other contexts and scientific practices, especially from STS, to facilitate meaningful participation.