5. Patient involvement in different phases of HTA

Providing evidence on patient aspects: Evaluation of effect endpoints

The effect of a health technology intervention is more than “efficacy”. Effect means how effective a treatment or the application of the technology is. In English there are two terms for effect: “efficacy” and “effectiveness”. “Efficacy” expresses the efficiency under ideal conditions, i.e. under research conditions such as clinical trials, whereas “effectiveness” expresses the efficiency under more normal daily practice. Patients can help define patient relevant elements to include in the assessment.