Health technology assessment for radiologists: basic principles and evaluation framework.

Decision makers are faced with the task of allocating health resources to maximize patients' health under budget constraints. To offer structure to the complexity of the decision-making process, the field of health technology assessment (HTA) was developed. This paper offers an introduction to the fundamental aspects of HTA and acts as a guide to the conduct of HTA for radiologists. First, the authors define HTA and describe how it is linked to the field of diagnostics. Second, a basic 11-step framework for the conduct of an HTA is outlined. The framework begins with the identification of the problem and proceeds through to the dissemination and impact of an HTA. Third, the authors provide a real-world example of an HTA in the field of diagnostics. Last, they describe the challenges and barriers faced in HTA.