Sustainability and the future of HTA

Louisa rutherford, chief systematic review analyst

This blog explores the intersection of climate change and the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) process. Integrating environmental impact data into the HTA process, investigates how the medical system helps to achieve sustainability goals. By integrating environmental considerations into the evaluation of health technology, decision makers can ultimately contribute to world climate goals by promoting the adoption of sustainable practices and technologies. To do this, this blog will discuss the following:

• Overview of current climate change status and influence on health care.
• A specific method that can evolve the HTA process to include environmental data.
• The advantages and challenges of this integration, insight into the methods that HTA agencies around the world began to solve this problem.

Overview of current climate change status and influence on sustainability of medical care

Climate change is a global challenge that affects all sectors, including medical care. As the GHG level increases, our climate is changing significantly, which causes serious risks for public health and the ecosystem we depend on (1).

All industries, including medical services, release GHG. In 2014, medical care was estimated to have produced 4.4%of the world’s carbon dioxide (jointly.₂Emissions (2). In the UK, NHS England is estimated to contribute to 4% of the national greenhouse gas emissions, and the pharmaceutical industry contributes 20% (3, 4).

The strategy to reduce and manage the risk of climate change UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC). Figure 1 Show the timeline that summarizes the meeting Panel between the government of climate change (IPCC) Report over the last 30 years.

Figure 1: Timeline summarized landmark police and publications

Police, party meetings; IPCC, between governments of climate change; NHS, National Health Service.

The COP26 of Glasgow 2021 set the goal of Net-Zero Health Service by 2050, promising to develop an additional low-carbon health system by 14 countries, including the UK (5). To achieve this goal, medical decision makers must consider and understand the environmental impact of the products and services used by health services. In the UK, it includes the environmental impact of the procurement health technology approved through the HTA process.

Based on the knowledge that the health technology approved by the HTA process has been integrated into everyday clinical practice, if the technology with low environmental impact progresses, this will help the health sector to achieve a net zero goal with positive knocking effects at the region and ultimately worldwide.

How to evolve to solve the sustainability of the HTA process

Recently discussed about the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) methodology, discussed how environmental data can be included in the HTA decision-making process and which HTA organization is in this field (6-10). The proposed approach to integrating environmental data is as follows.

• It is with the existing cost efficiency analysis because it posts environmentally available environmental impact data without further evaluation.
• Further analysis of environmental impact data presented with clinical and cost results is performed, but it is not integrated into cost efficiency models.
• In a single quantitative analysis, we develop or identify new models that can evaluate clinical, cost and environmental data.

Examples of the environmental evaluation of technology are related to the inhaler for asthma management. Capacity inhaler and breathing-activity intake contains propulsion gases that contribute to climate change. Each puff of some inhalers can produce many carbon dioxide equivalents (co -operation₂e) 115 ° mile gasoline car trip (35kg joint₂E). In contrast, it generates less than 1 kg of dry powder inhaler or soft fog inhaler.₂E. Carbon dioxide, etc. per dose, is a measurement unit for the warming effect of GHG. In essence, it is a exchange rate for carbon of other GHG and can compare the effects between other GHG. The NICE created a decision aid so that the patient can now choose which type of suction machine can use (11).

The advantages and challenges of this integration and insight into the way that HTA agencies around the world began to solve this problem

There are certain advantages and disadvantages related to each individual approach described above. But all the methods may have common advantages and tasks, which are as follows: Table 1.

Table 1: Advantages and tasks that integrate environmental impact data into the HTA process

Studies have shown that HTA agencies have begun to collect and use environmental impact data. But it doesn’t happen everyday. In one publication, the authors are 14 out of 14 HTAs in six countries -Australian Pharmaceutical Advisory Committee (PBAC), Canadian Pharmaceuticals (CDA), France Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS), Sistema Sanitario Regione Liguria (Alisa) Programma Regional Ha Medici (phrdm), Italy, clinical and clinical and clinical and clinical and clinical and clinical and clinical and economic reviews. The United States and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NIC) -environmental factors seemed to affect the final decisions of six HTAs, but it was not a major decision -making. In particular, seven HTA agencies in Canada, France, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Spain have written policy or methodology guidelines including environmental considerations (9).

Main takeout

There are some major takeouts to note.

• If health care plays a role in reaching the net zero goal set by the government, it is necessary to change the thinking of health technology and the procurement method.
• A single organization cannot overcome the challenge and requires cooperation efforts between pharmaceutical companies, medical providers, governments, regulators and patients.
• Although there are challenges related to the change in the process, the current way of evolving the HTA process can be integrated with environmental data.
• You can see that multiple HTA institutions have begun to explore how this integration can be done.

If you want to know more about HTA submission (including systematic review, health economy modeling, and medical writing), please contact Source Health Economics, a heror consulting that specializes in creating evidence, health economy and communication.

reference

1. IPCC. Can be used: (Last approach 23^RD October 2024). 2014
2. Pichler pp. approximately. Coast Reth. 2019; 14 (6)
3. NHS England. Can be used: (Last approach 23^RD October 2024).
4. NHS British carbon carbon footprint report. September 2008 (update in August 2009)
5. UNFCC. Can be used: (Last approach 23^RD October 2024)
6. Greenwood Dufour B. int. J. Environment. Coastal Public Health 2022, 19, 12017.
7. M. International Health Management Technology Evaluation, 39 (1), E13, 1–4
8. Mcalister S. Lancet Planet Health 2022; 6: E993-99
9. SZAWARA P. POSTER by IQVIA Presented Spor Europe 2023
10. Systematic Reviews 2022, Issue 3. Art’s Thomson D. COCHRANE Database. No: ED000156
11. Good guidelines for asthma inhaler and climate change. (Last approach on October 23, 2024)