Module description
In this module, students will have the opportunity to understand the frameworks and statistical and economic modelling used to bridge the gap between research and development, and subsequent adoption of a new technology. Using the assessment of the “value proposition” of current real-world case studies, they will be exposed to these methods. In addition to these specific areas of knowledge, students will also gain transferable skills in evidence search and synthesis.
Assessment details
30% Presentation
70% Report
Educational aims & objectives
This module will introduce students to the field of Health Technology Assessment. The overarching aim is for students to develop an awareness and understanding of how new healthcare technologies are developed and how their value is assessed. This includes an understanding of the regulatory environment, awareness of the main stakeholders and decision makers, and an ability to perform evidence based reviews and make informed decisions based on this evidence.
Learning outcomes
On completion of the course the students will (be able to):
- Understand the 'med-tech lifecycle' and be able to apply general concepts to individual example technologies.
- Describe how new medical devices (or other innovations) are regulated, using the UK regulatory environment as an example. This includes describing the roles and responsibilities of different agencies, and being able to search known information repositories to evaluate real-world safety data.
- Describe how a government agency such as NICE would evaluate the societal value of a new health technology and make decisions on whether to adopt it.
- Perform a systematic review of a new health technology.
- Synthesize evidence based on meta-analyses.
- Make evidence-based decisions based on formalised decision theory.
- Understand health economics and estimate economic costs and benefits using a formal framework.
- Perform a health technology assessment (HTA) to critically evaluate a new technology (taking into account the previous learning outcomes).
- Present a coherent analysis of a complex critical evaluation.
Teaching pattern
Weekly lecture and tutorial