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Genuine policy learning is fundamental: the journey of the United Arab Emirates toward the establishment of health technology assessment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2023

Maiss Ahmad Open the ORCID record for Maiss Ahmad [Opens in a new window] ,
Kasem S. Akhras  and
Shadi Saleh
Maiss Ahmad*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Business and Law, The British University in Dubai, Dubai, UAE
Kasem S. Akhras
Affiliation:
UIC College of Pharmacy, Chicago, IL, USA
Shadi Saleh
Affiliation:
Global Health Institute, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
*
*Author for correspondence: Maiss Ahmad, E-mails: maiss-ahmad@hotmail.com
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Abstract

The launch of innovative technologies has been credited with significant improvements in health indicators, but it comes at a high financial impact, and the value of certain innovations may not be well documented. Health technology assessment (HTA) is a universally established process to assess the incremental value of innovations. Despite its acknowledged value, almost one-third of the countries around the globe have not established yet a formal HTA in their health systems. The UAE is one of the pioneering countries worldwide in adopting innovative health technologies. This emphasizes the importance of exploring the key elements in the UAE’s journey toward the establishment of HTA. Our study aims to articulate an academic insight that can support the ongoing endeavors to establish the HTA in the UAE. This case study was guided by an analytical framework. Data was collected from document review and semistructured interviews, then analyzed by applying the codebook thematic analysis technique. The findings outline multiple facilitators and challenges in the perspective process, as they show a multidimensional interlink between all identified elements. Markedly, leveraging the role of specialized academia and building HTA genuine knowledge are the areas that need the most attention. The originality of this research is associated with analyzing the three health policy pillars: the context, actors, and content in a prospective HTA establishment process. The main practical implications generated from this study are supporting global health organizations, HTA policy entrepreneurs, and academics in improving their strategies and designing more effective HTA policy learning programs.

Keywords

HTAhealth policy analysishealth innovationsCOVID-19UAE
Type
Policy
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 39 , Issue 1 , 2023 , e3
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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