Objectives: The aim of this study was to benchmark the proposal forms used by a
sample of Italian hospitals to inform the budget process for the adoption of new
technology to understand the relationship with the guidelines provided by the Health
Technology Assessment (HTA) literature.
Methods: A literature review was first undertaken to identify the frameworks developed to
support decision making regarding new technology at a hospital level. A checklist of
criteria drawn up according to five main perspectives (technology, patient, organization,
economics, and level of evidence) has been formalized to review and compare the
collected proposal forms.
Results: The “technology” perspective appears to have been broadly covered. The
“patient” perspective has focused to clinical issues and partially neglects other dimensions
such as patient satisfaction and potential adverse events. The “organization” dimension
has paid little attention to change management. The “economics” dimension has been
broadly covered, even though a sensitivity analysis has not been considered. The “level of
evidence” that is required for submitting the proposal form is little.
Conclusions: The proposal forms used to inform the budget process regarding the
adoption of new technology are accountable for a limited set of dimensions from among
those proposed in literature. Further research is required to understand how to render
technology assessment multidimensional, multidisciplinary, evidence-based, and
accountable at a hospital leve
