The use and impact of rapid health technology assessments

Objectives: To consider the impact of rapid health technology assessments u ndertaken as part of a program in a provincial healthcare system in respons e to urgent requests for advice. Methods: Review of the development and preparation of 20 rapid assessment r eports, communication with decision makers within the healthcare system, an d appraisal of data subsequent to preparation of the reports. Results: Fourteen of the assessments were judged to have had an influence o n policy and other decisions, as judged by responses from those who had req uested advice. Another four were considered to have provided guidance, whil e having less immediate influence on decisions, and two others had no appar ent impact. Quality of the assessments was considered acceptable, on the ba sis of literature that subsequently became available and from comments rece ived. Conclusions: These brief reports are considered to be a useful component of a hearth technology assessment program. However, they should be regarded a s provisional appraisals and followed up with more detailed evaluation wher e possible.