To buy or not to buy: How Evidence Informs Canadian Health Technology Decisions

Abstract

Evidence based medicine, evidence informed health decision, health technology assessment; are they synonymous? Do they lead us to one conclusion? Is decision support a one-stop shop? After consideration, is the decision outcome defendable, supported, accepted and finite? Not necessarily.
How do decision makers choose from among the almost unlimited availability of health devices, those that have the most likelihood of benefits with fewest adverse results? How do we choose technologies that make the most significant impact on the health of a particular population without jeopardizing funding access for other populations and their health needs? With finite resources, how do decision makers choose among them for most significant clinical gain? Which interventions are necessary?
In Canada, CADTH informs decisions through systematic reviews of literature, providing credible, impartial advice and evidence-based information about the effectiveness and efficiency of health technologies. Once decisions are made and technologies are implemented, many factors intercede to influence whether to decommission a technology. These include such information as device safety as determined by recalls and advisories, as well as device failure. In Canada we consider evidence in all these contexts. This presentation will share with attendees how some of this work gets done and disseminated by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health. Participants will become knowledgeable about how to request and access unbiased Health Technology evidence in Canada.