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Learning and practicing more value-reflective, problem-setting health technology assessment: experiences and lessons from the VALIDATE project

Part of: Special Collection - Methods

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2022

John Grin ,
Bart Bloemen Open the ORCID record for Bart Bloemen [Opens in a new window] ,
Iñaki Gutierrez-Ibarluzea Open the ORCID record for Iñaki Gutierrez-Ibarluzea [Opens in a new window] ,
Bjørn Hofmann ,
Wija Oortwijn Open the ORCID record for Wija Oortwijn [Opens in a new window] ,
Pietro Refolo Open the ORCID record for Pietro Refolo [Opens in a new window] ,
Dario Sacchini Open the ORCID record for Dario Sacchini [Opens in a new window] ,
Laura Sampietro-Colom ,
Lars Sandman Open the ORCID record for Lars Sandman [Opens in a new window]  and
Gert Jan van der Wilt Open the ORCID record for Gert Jan van der Wilt [Opens in a new window]
John Grin*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Bart Bloemen
Affiliation:
Department of Health Evidence, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Iñaki Gutierrez-Ibarluzea
Affiliation:
Basque Foundation for Health Innovation and Research, Barakaldo, Spain
Bjørn Hofmann
Affiliation:
Department of Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Gjøvik, Norway Centre for Medical Ethics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
Wija Oortwijn
Affiliation:
Department of Health Evidence, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Pietro Refolo
Affiliation:
Department of Healthcare Surveillance and Bioethics, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
Dario Sacchini
Affiliation:
Department of Healthcare Surveillance and Bioethics, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
Laura Sampietro-Colom
Affiliation:
Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
Lars Sandman
Affiliation:
Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, University of Linköping, Linköping, Sweden
Gert Jan van der Wilt
Affiliation:
Department of Health Evidence, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
*
*Author for correspondence: John Grin, E-mail: J.Grin@uva.nl
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Abstract

Objectives

To conduct a formative evaluation of applying the VALIDATE approach in practice by (i) assessing how students appreciated the e-learning course, (ii) exploring how, for what purposes and with what outcomes the acquired VALIDATE competences subsequently were used in internships in different institutional contexts, and how this was shaped by these contexts, and (iii) what this shows on real-world use of VALIDATE.

Methods

Comparative discussion of experiences of applying the VALIDATE approach via a semistructured survey and oral feedback from e-course students; final reports on internships in health technology assessment (HTA) practice, followed by semistructured interviews with interns and supervisors to complement and interpret results.

Results

All students considered the VALIDATE approach an enlightening and important addition to current HTA knowledge, especially regarding understanding the relation between empirical analysis and normative inquiry, identifying policy relevant questions and using the method of reconstructing interpretive frames for scoping. The latter appeared intellectually challenging and requiring some prior HTA knowledge. The use the VALIDATE approach in practice shows that interns productively redefined the HTA problem, based on appreciation of different stakeholders’ definition of the issue; they experienced constraints from retrieving all relevant perspectives from existing literature as well as from institutional rules and routines.

Conclusions

Some challenges in applying the VALIDATE approach deserve attention for its future use: currently used research approaches often assume a problem as “given”; and the data needed on different perspectives is often not reported in scientific literature. Finally, data gathering on and evaluation of value dimensions was experienced as challenging.

Keywords

methodvaluesinterpretation
Type
Method
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 38 , Issue 1 , 2022 , e63
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

The authors wish to thank e-learning course participants, interns for frankly sharing their evaluations and reports through the survey and/or an interview; the supervisors of these interns and all the participants in sessions and workshops on VALIDATE at the 2019 and 2021 Annual Conferences of HTAi for their feedback and thoughts. The authors are also grateful for the helpful comments of three anonymous reviewers.

References

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