Health technology assessment in Finland

Int J Technol Assess Health Care. 2009 Jul:25 Suppl 1:102-7. doi: 10.1017/S0266462309090497. Epub 2009 Jun 8.

Abstract

Since the 1990s, health policy makers in Finland have been supportive of evidence-based medicine and approaches to implement its results. The Finnish Office for Health Technology Assessment (Finohta) has grown from a small start in 1995 to a medium-sized health technology assessment (HTA) agency, with special responsibility in providing assessments to underpin national policies in screening. External evaluations enhanced the rapid growth. In the Finnish environment, decision making on health technologies is extremely decentralized, so Finohta has developed some practical tools for implementing HTA findings. The Managed Uptake of Medical Methods program links the hospital districts to agree on introduction of technologies. The Ohtanen database provides Finnish-language summaries of major assessments made in other countries.

MeSH terms

  • Decision Making
  • Evidence-Based Medicine
  • Finland
  • Government Regulation
  • Health Policy
  • Mass Screening
  • Technology Assessment, Biomedical / legislation & jurisprudence
  • Technology Assessment, Biomedical / organization & administration*