Role of General Practitioners in European Health Technology Assessment, EU-HTA Innovation in Oncology as an Example.

Abstract

Introduction: Different from established clinical guideline workstreams, the participation of general practitioners (GPs) in the health technology assessment (HTA) process at the European level is new. There is a research gap in this domain. The European Union of General Practitioners (UEMO) is the political association of GPs in Europe and has been collaborating as a stakeholder in the creation of the European Regulation on HTA since 2017. The aim of our research is to provide a framework for GPs'role in EU HTA.

Methods: Mixed methods: questionnaire and focus groups.

Participants: Representatives of national medical/GP associations of 17 Member States of the EU and five EU non-member countries.

Results: Most respondents supported GP involvement in the development of clinical recommendations relevant to general practice. Respondents emphasized that UEMO must turn to WONCA-Europe, the academic society of GPs, when scientific input is required. Among the ten priority topics for HTA in oncology, four emerged as most relevant for the GPs: 1. Conscientious prescription of interventions considering over- and under-medicalization, 2. establishing a system for continuity of care integrating palliative care, 3. ensuring evidence-based medicine, and 4. promoting collaborative care and considering workload.

Discussion and conclusions: The GP can contribute to the debate by defending these four priorities. Presenting the difficulties in this debate can contribute to a better understanding of the implementation of new technology in the real world.