A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Implementing health technology assessment-based recommendations in Finland: managed uptake of medical methods
Authors: Sinikka Sihvo, Tuija Ikonen, Marjukka Mäkelä
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication year: 2017
Journal: International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care
Journal name in source: International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care
Volume: 33
Issue: 4
First page : 430
Last page: 433
Number of pages: 4
ISSN: 0266-4623
eISSN: 0266-4623
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266462317000587(external)
Objectives: The Managed Uptake of Medical Methods Program (MUMM) started 10 years ago as a joint venture of the Finnish Office for Health Technology Assessment (Finohta) and the twenty hospital districts in Finland. The aim is to offer information on the effectiveness, safety, organizational effects, and costs of new medical methods to support decisions concerning their uptake in secondary care. In this article, we discuss the successes and challenges of implementing the MUMM program.
Methods: A study of awareness and use of five MUMM recommendations for various medical specialties with short-form web-based surveys to hospitals.
Results: The recommendations were noticed and considered relevant. In overall assessment they received a mean rating of 8.4 (range: 4 to 10). Two thirds of the respondents thought MUMM recommendations were useful for practice, but only a third had actually used them in decision making.
Conclusions: HTA-based MUMM recommendations were well received by physicians but in practice they are less used than clinical practice guidelines. Short-form electronic surveys were a useful way of gathering information about awareness and implementation. The surveys also functioned as another method of informing key physicians about the recommendations.