P. Tugwell et al., TECHNOLOGY-ASSESSMENT - OLD, NEW, AND NEEDS-BASED, International journal of technology assessment in health care, 11(4), 1995, pp. 650-662
Recent health reports, including the 1993 World Development Report, ha
ve emphasized the importance of integrating the needs of the populatio
n into technology assessment. This paper reviews previous approaches t
o technology assessment and identifies the missing link between techno
logy and its impact on the physical, emotional, and social needs of th
e community, namely needs-based technology assessment. It stresses the
key role played by issues of equity and community values in making te
chnology decisions. A number of models for needs-based technology asse
ssment are described.