The International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care (IJTAHC) began in 1985. It is published by Cambridge University Press but is the journal of Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi) (Reference Jonsson and Reiser1).
In this issue of IJTAHC, the article by Brian O'Rourke and colleagues presents the new definition of Health Technology Assessment (HTA). This was prepared by an International Task Group co-led by the International Network of Agencies for HTA (INAHTA) and HTAi. The task group brought together representatives of other key networks such as HTAsiaLink, EUnetHTA, RedETSA, the HTA Glossary Committee, the Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research, as well as the World Health Organization (WHO).
Technology Assessment began as a discipline over 40 years ago in the USA (Reference Goodman2), and has since spread widely across the world. It is now embedded in the decision-making process in many countries, so that governments can use the best possible evidence for decision making. The term HTA has been adopted since the 1990s (Reference Banta3).
Various organizations have defined HTA over the years—first denoted “technology assessment” (Reference Banta3) but now called HTA. Following a global collaboration, we now have a new definition of HTA that represents a consensus on the process and purpose of HTA. This Perspective article is certainly a landmark publication that will have a high impact in our field.
Twelve other articles are published in this issue. Two Commentaries, one which provides an overview of the 2019 EUnetHTA Forum with a key focus on unmet medical needs from different stakeholder's perspectives, and the other looking at how patient input was utilized by some Appraisal Committees in their final decisions. Moshi and colleagues article describes the development of a module to facilitate the assessment of mobile medical applications for regulatory and reimbursement purposes. A Policy article from the 2019 Asia Policy Forum explores the roles of horizon scanning for new technologies and reassessment of existing technologies as tools to support the sustainability of healthcare systems across Asia.
I wish to thank the team of Deputy and Associate Editors, and the Managing Editor for their considerable and valuable input. Members of the Editorial Board also contribute to the general direction of IJTAHC but also provide ongoing regular support. Without the generosity in time and high-quality feedback of the many reviewers, listed here from 2019 (4), the journal could not function. This journal of the HTAi Society aims not only to promote the field of HTA but also to disseminate valuable learnings, to improve the quality of healthcare globally. We welcome any constructive feedback on our publications, as well as comments about IJTAHC more generally.
