Patient awareness, involvement, and learning needs in health technology assessment - a survey of patients, caregivers, and patient advocates.

INTRODUCTION: Patient involvement in health technology assessment (HTA) is nascent globally especially in Asia. The aim was to assess patient awareness, involvement, and learning needs of HTA, particularly in Asia. METHOD: An online survey assessed HTA awareness, involvement, and learning needs among patients and caregivers across 33 countries from October 2021 to July 2022. RESULTS: The survey of 170 participants (127 Asians, 43 non-Asians) revealed that 52.3 percent (89 of 170) were unaware of HTA, only 14.1 percent (24 of 170) engaged in HTA, and only 9.3 percent (15 of 161) had received training. The Asian group exhibited significantly lower HTA awareness (mean score 24.6 vs. 30.4, p < 0.05) and had lower participation rates in HTA discussions (10.2 percent, 13 of 127) compared to the non-Asian group (25.6 percent, 11 of 43) (p < 0.05). Among participants without prior HTA training, 68.5 percent (100 of 146) expressed a learning need. CONCLUSION: Patient awareness and involvement in HTA were low globally, particularly in Asia. There was a strong patient learning need for HTA globally.