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Programmes
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Strengthening Policies for Healthcare Technology Management and Assessment
Overall Programme Objective
The overall objective of the programme is to contribute to improved healthcare delivery and access in Africa by improving the quality of science and technology (S&T) policy through the generation and dissemination of relevant knowledge. This objective expects to contribute to the UNMDGs numbers four, six and eight.
Healthcare technology can be broadly defined as
prevention and rehabilitation of vaccines, pharmaceuticals
and devices, medical and surgical procedures, and the
systems within which health is protected and maintained.
Health technology management and assessment plays an
essential role in modern healthcare by supporting effective
decision making in healthcare policy and practice.
Basically defined, healthcare technology assessment
studies the medical, social, ethical and economic implications of development, diffusion, and the use of
health technology and informs policy decisions. Its aim is
to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of
healthcare.
Healthcare technology is one of the essential infrastructure elements for the efficient delivery of health services. In spite of its importance, healthcare technology planning, incorporation and management have often not received proper attention. In developing countries, this situation is particularly grave. Equipment often lie idle partly due to the lack of funds for recurrent costs, and also mainly due to the lack of established polices and procedures for planning, acquisition, utilization and maintenance of the technology.
As the practice, provision, and management of healthcare undergo rapid technological and organizational change, health technology assessment has increasingly become a valuable tool to examine effectiveness, quality of care, patient outcomes, and cost-effectiveness. However, except for South Africa, no sub-Saharan African (SSA) country has comprehensive policies governing equipment management. Africa must begin to seek ways to strengthen its healthcare delivery by optimizing healthcare technology management and assessment.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a basic framework for equipment planning, incorporation and management. This framework has been divided into three processes:
- The relationship of equipment with health policy
- The incorporation process
- The management process
ATPS intends to further develop this framework to include other healthcare technologies and a fourth process that deals with learning (knowledge generation and use) within healthcare institutions. The framework will then be used to evaluate selected healthcare institutions to build knowledge and provide policy options to improve their technology management. It is envisioned that various decision makers will also be trained and a knowledge exchange forum created. This initiative is particularly timely as many countries are currently reforming their health systems with the financial assistance of international agencies.
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Scientific Research on Healthcare Technology