On the occasion of the Word Cancer Day, ECPC is launching the new HTA (Health Technology Assessment) toolkit ‘Patient Involvement in Health Technology Assessment: A toolkit for patients and patient organizations’. This toolkit will leverage the existing resources combining up-to-date information, country specific examples and provide cancer patients and organizations with a practical guide and a comprehensive overview of how to be directly involved in the work of HTA agencies. 

“Cancer patients as ultimate recipients of medical technologies understand the need for new therapies and their impact on the quality of life. Their unique experience, perspectives and knowledge are significant in determining the value of new treatments in the HTA,” said Charis Girvalaki, ECPC EU Affairs Manager. 

Despite the fact that involving patients in HTA process is considered beneficial, there is a lack of good metodologies to implement this. Understanding how to be involved practically at the local, national, and international levels is crucial. ECPC therefore prepared a comprehensive and easy-to-read toolkit to empower European cancer patients and improve their involvement in HTA. 

The main aims of this new toolkit are to:

• Improve the general understanding of the HTA process and the actors involved, with a brief theoretical overview.
• Increase the skills of non-professional involved in HTA so that they have a practical overview of how they can share their experiences efficiently and effectively. 
• To provide national and international useful sources to support network-building and develop detailed action-plans.

“Yesterday, the European Commission presented Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan with people-centred solutions against cancer. An appropriate involvement of patients in HTA process should be a part of this Plan, ” said Ken Mastris, ECPC President. 

The toolkit is now available in English. It will soon be available in Spanish and Portuguese and some other languages.