Biomedical engineering's role in hospital health technology assessment

Health technology assessment (HTA) can be defined as research that is intended to help decision makers deal with the development, acquisition, and utilization of healthcare technologies. With restraint, re-engineering and rightsizing now key words in healthcare and government, hospitals are looking for additional value in their healthcare technology investments as measured by improved patient outcome and reduced operational costs. Hawkins (1992) has suggested that formalizing and mastering the technology assessment procedure will be the hallmark of the successful hospital of the 90's. Hospital biomedical and clinical engineering departments have experience and skills which makes them natural leaders in the HTA process. BME Depts. can help bridge the gap between research findings and practical implementation in hospitals.