Technology Assessment: a tool of Technology Failure Prevention

Abstract

Technology plays an increasingly important role in health care. Failures and unpredicted effects of health technology may lead to disastrous consequences such as injuries and casualties, but they also mean huge financial costs, waste of resources, legal issues and loss of public trust for medical care systems and health technology industry. Therefore, technology failures should be prevented for the sake of patients, functional health care systems and technological advancement. The objective of this thesis is to indicate, that properly conducted technology assessment (TA) is critical for preventing failures. Short theoretical background is presented draw a more comprehensive picture of TA, its functions and origins. A literature review has been performed to find those ingredients of technology assessment, which are essential from the perspective of failure prevention. Such elements are objectivity and impartiality, planning, choosing assessment criteria, foreseeing adverse effects, technology comparison, and periodical reassessments. To underline the vitality of properly conducted TA, an example of metal-on-metal hip implants failure is introduced. The reasons for failure are analysed and prevention steps, which should have been implemented, are proposed. This thesis is an approach to TA seen as a practical and essential tool. It is an attempt to demonstrate, that TA should be of great interest for biomedical engineering. Since biomedical engineers are professionals, who design and manufacture health technology, TA provides a great methodology for them to improve the whole innovation process. TA is also important for better understanding of technology development paths and their consequences.