Spain develops first national protocol for patient involvement in health technology assessment

The Spanish Network of Health Technology Assessment and Benefits Agencies (RedETS), under the Ministry of Health, has established a pioneering national protocol to evaluate and continuously monitor patient participation in health technology assessment (HTA) reports.

Developed in collaboration with various agencies, methodology specialists, and patient organizations, the framework utilizes 35 indicators focused on structure, process, and results. The methodology, which drew from the European ‘PARADIGM’ framework, employed a modified Delphi technique with multidisciplinary panelists to create specific online questionnaires for agency directors, technical coordinators, and participating patients.

The first implementation cycle, conducted in March 2025, covered all eight agencies within RedETS and analyzed 49 HTA reports published between January 2024 and February 2025. The results, published in the International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, demonstrate the viability of a systematic, evidence-based approach to enhance transparency, accountability, and meaningful patient engagement. The model is designed to be scalable and adaptable to other health technology assessment systems.