Health Technology Assessment In The UK—Development And Insights

In the 1970s,in response to public dissatisfaction with current public health services and the need for more standardized management and application of advanced health technologies,the U.S.government pioneered the policy of health technology assessment.As the name implies,it evaluates the characteristics,costs and effectiveness of drugs,devices,treatments and other technologies used by the health industry to deliver health interventions,providing policy makers with key information and data to help inform policy development.Over the following 50 years,health technology assessment mechanisms have evolved in many countries,and a variety of assessment bodies and corresponding international organizations have been formed.In 1991,the United Kingdom added health technology assessment to its National Health Service,and in 1999,it formally established an independent health technology assessment organization,the National Institute for Clinical Excellence(later renamed the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence,or NICE).After more than 20 years of development in the past,NICE has grown and is now a world model in this field,playing an important role in the UK and abroad and profoundly influencing the health and wellness of the UK nationals and even people in other countries and regions around the world.This paper plans to trace the development process of the UK health technology assessment system through literature analysis,observing the various historical stages from the introduction of the mechanism,the establishment of NICE,and the development of NICE in the UK,and sorting out its current operation mode.On this basis,this paper is dedicated to exploring the characteristics and controversies faced by the UK health technology assessment system,analyzing the corresponding experiences in the construction and growth of the mechanism in its development,and seeking inspiration from them to adapt to the construction of the relevant mechanisms in other countries,such as China.The study finds that health technology assessment in the UK mainly adopts the quality-adjusted life year(QALY)as a cost-benefit assessment indicator for health technologies,which is a valid basis for judging whether health technologies such as drugs and treatment methods should receive financial support from the National Health Service.Over the decades,the rapid growth of health technology assessment in the UK has revealed its unique influence,pluralism,independence and openness.However,at the same time,the assessment system still suffers from untimely project processing,controversial assessment criteria,and insufficient executive regulatory authority,which need to be further strengthened in the future.The development of health technology assessment in the UK cannot be achieved without the support of various sectors,the attention of the government and its extensive cooperation with the outside world,which also provides a value for the corresponding systems around the world.It also provides a reference for the construction of the corresponding system in China.Learning from its experience,China can pay more attention to constructing a multi-level health technology assessment system,strengthening multiparty communication,emphasizing implementation and supervision,and taking an active part in international cooperation.