OBJECTIVES: This research aimed to identify the Latin American (LatAm) countries with a Health Technology Assessment (HTA) process in their public healthcare systems that incorporate public consultations (PC), and investigate the correlation between the number of contributions in PC and the change of preliminary recommendations.

METHODS: Comprehensive research was conducted to identify the countries in LatAm with HTA agencies that implemented a PC process. Publicly available information regarding the PC for all reports submitted to HTA agencies was collected. Preliminary and final recommendations, along with the total volume of participation for each report, were documented. The association between changes in recommendations and the volume of contributions was examined using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney Test in R.

RESULTS: Of the 20 countries in LatAm, 11 (55%) have established public HTA bodies and only two (18%) – Brazil and Colombia – conduct PC, while three (Argentina, Costa Rica, and Uruguay) are still incorporating PC into their HTA process. Public engagement data were available only for the Brazilian HTA agency, who issued 787 decisions between 2012 and 2022, of which 640 (81%) had PC data. When analyzing the 289 assessments with a preliminary negative recommendation, there is a statistically significant difference (p < .00001) between the volume of PC contributions of assessments who shifted the final decision to positive (n=68, 24%) compared to those who maintained the negative recommendation, suggesting that the shift from negative to positive recommendations is associated with the number of public contributions.

CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals a significant correlation between the change from negative to positive HTA recommendation and the number of contributions in PC, underscoring the influence of public participation in the HTA process. Although further research is needed to explore qualitative patterns, these insights could inform strategies for more effective public engagement leading to a more inclusive HTA process.