Introduction
HTA bodies are not organised according to one accepted structure; similarly, there is no single way to involve patients in the work of an HTA body. The way patients are involved in an HTA body depends on the political and cultural context. Patient involvement should be developed as the result of a partnership between the HTA body and patient representatives, and it should be constantly evolving in response to experience and feedback.
HTA is used to support public decisions (in other words, decisions that affect all potential users of the healthcare system). In most health jurisdictions worldwide, ministers of health are not only accountable to patients who require immediate care but they are also accountable to the tax paying public, which is the primary source of financing for the healthcare system.