From the Outside Looking in: Patient Advocacy Groups' and Healthcare Providers' Perspectives on Patient Engagement Strategies in the Israeli Health Technology Assessment Process
Author(s)
TAL MORGINSTIN, B. Pharm, M.Sc., Ph.D., Segev Shani, B. Pharm, MHA, MBA, LLB, LLM, Ph.D., Dan Greenberg, BA, MSc, PhD.
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
OBJECTIVES: While many countries have established formal mechanisms for patient engagement (PE) in health technology assessment (HTA), Israel offers limited opportunities, with PE occurring primarily through informal channels. Understanding patient influence strategies and their effectiveness is crucial for improving HTA processes. Our objectives were to examine patient-employed influence strategies in Israeli HTA processes, characterize these approaches, and evaluate their perceived effectiveness.
METHODS: Online surveys were conducted among 161 patient advocacy group (PAG) representatives and 201 healthcare providers (HCPs) in Israel. Surveys, developed based on preliminary interviews with opinion leaders and policymakers, plus international practices, assessed perceptions of strategy use and effectiveness using a 5-point Likert scale (1="not important at all" to 5="very important"). Strategies included direct communication with decision-makers, media utilization, lobbying, and professional collaborations.
RESULTS: No strategy achieved high agreement (>50% responding "to a large extent" or "to a very large extent"). Among PAGs, moderate or higher agreement was recorded for letters to the Health Basket Committee (HBC), the national body responsible for recommending the reimbursement of new pharmaceuticals and other medical technologies (73%), patient stories in media (70%), and lobbying (57%). Among HCPs, moderate or higher agreement was expressed regarding media stories (73%), letters to the HBC (70%), and lobbying (68%). Submission of inclusion requests to the Health Basket and meetings with HMOs and the Ministry of Health received low agreement in both groups, indicating perceived low effectiveness of formal channels.
CONCLUSIONS: Most strategies were perceived as having limited influence, indicating significant challenges for patients. Influence is primarily expressed through written appeals, lobbying, and public communication, while the low effectiveness of formal channels suggests structural barriers. Establishing a formal PE framework in Israeli HTA is recommended, incorporating training, capacity building, awareness raising, and resource allocation to enhance patient impact.
METHODS: Online surveys were conducted among 161 patient advocacy group (PAG) representatives and 201 healthcare providers (HCPs) in Israel. Surveys, developed based on preliminary interviews with opinion leaders and policymakers, plus international practices, assessed perceptions of strategy use and effectiveness using a 5-point Likert scale (1="not important at all" to 5="very important"). Strategies included direct communication with decision-makers, media utilization, lobbying, and professional collaborations.
RESULTS: No strategy achieved high agreement (>50% responding "to a large extent" or "to a very large extent"). Among PAGs, moderate or higher agreement was recorded for letters to the Health Basket Committee (HBC), the national body responsible for recommending the reimbursement of new pharmaceuticals and other medical technologies (73%), patient stories in media (70%), and lobbying (57%). Among HCPs, moderate or higher agreement was expressed regarding media stories (73%), letters to the HBC (70%), and lobbying (68%). Submission of inclusion requests to the Health Basket and meetings with HMOs and the Ministry of Health received low agreement in both groups, indicating perceived low effectiveness of formal channels.
CONCLUSIONS: Most strategies were perceived as having limited influence, indicating significant challenges for patients. Influence is primarily expressed through written appeals, lobbying, and public communication, while the low effectiveness of formal channels suggests structural barriers. Establishing a formal PE framework in Israeli HTA is recommended, incorporating training, capacity building, awareness raising, and resource allocation to enhance patient impact.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-11, ISPOR Europe 2025, Glasgow, Scotland
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S2
Code
HTA157
Topic
Health Policy & Regulatory, Health Technology Assessment, Patient-Centered Research
Topic Subcategory
Decision & Deliberative Processes
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas