Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in Health Technology Assessment (HTA): Where Next?

Global Heart Hub is collaborating with SDA Bocconi School of Management on a groundbreaking research project aimed at enhancing the role of patients as equal stakeholders in Health Technology Assessment (HTA).

The research project, titled “Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in Health Technology Assessment (HTA): Where NEXT?”, focuses on advancing the understanding and implementation of patient involvement in HTA processes. This collaboration responds to the growing recognition of the vital need for patient engagement in healthcare decision-making.

By addressing existing knowledge gaps and promoting effective patient engagement strategies, our research aims to empower patients as equal partners in HTA. This initiative not only seeks to enhance patient representation but also aspires to inspire countries looking to invest in innovative HTA processes.

Global Heart Hub is committed to fostering a healthcare environment where patients are actively involved in shaping decisions that affect their health and well-being. Stay tuned for updates on this important project as we work together towards a more equitable healthcare landscape.

Recent Highlights

June 2026 – HTAi Annual Meeting

Global Heart Hub, represented by Marta Bragagnolo, attended the HTAi Annual Meeting in Istanbul on 6-10 June to highlight the importance of moving beyond consultation towards meaningful patient partnership in health technology assessment (HTA) and healthcare innovation.

In collaboration with SDA Bocconi University, Marta presented the results of our global research exploring how cardiovascular patient are involved in the HTA process, which barriers they encounter and which facilitators support broader participation helping to ensure that decisions better reflect patient experiences, priorities and real-world needs.

Findings highlight need for clearer communication channels, more systematic outreach from HTA bodies, and targeted capacity-building initiatives to support meaningful patient involvement.

View the poster.

March 2026 – DIA Europe 2026

Marta Bragagnolo represented Global Heart Hub at DIA Europe 2026 from 24 to 26 March in Rotterdam, presenting  insights from the global survey with an oral and a poster presentation on “Patient Voices in HTA: Integrated Evidence and Policy Pathways for Strengthening Patient Involvement.”

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) groups report comparatively lower levels of prior HTA involvement, suggesting a specific engagement gap in this disease area
• Limited participation is driven less by lack of interest and more by weak outreach, unclear entry points, complex processes and insufficient support, in contrast with consistently high willingness to engage among patient organisations and advocates.
• For the CVD community, addressing gaps in proactive contact, HTA literacy support and feedback mechanisms will be essential to ensure that health technology decisions better reflect the outcomes, burdens and trade-offs that matter most to patients and their families.

The poster was also selected for an oral presentation at a dedicated session.

View the poster and the presentation.

May 2025 – ISPOR Europe 2026

Global Heart Hub was pleased to present a poster at ISPOR Europe 2025, on 12 November in Glasgow, Scotland.

The poster, “Patient Involvement in Health Technology Assessment: A Global Review of Practices, Purposes and Pathways,” provided a global look at how patient involvement in HTA is practised, what motivates it and the pathways used across different health systems, highlighting key insights from our global survey.  Read the full abstract here.

Other HTA and access related activities:

• Global Heart Hub is part of the HTA Stakeholder Network, an advisory group established by the European Commission under the EU Health Technology Assessment Regulation (HTAR) to ensure transparency, inclusiveness and dialogue in European Union healthcare policy.
• Global Heart Hub has been appointed as co-vice-chair of the Equity and Access working group of the WHO/Europe Public Health Innovation Platform that is a collaborative, WHO-hosted network designed to catalyse system-level transformation.
• Global Heart Hub is a beneficiary of the HEU-EFS project, dedicated to establishing a framework to conduct early feasibility studies in the European Union. Within the project, together with the European Patients’ Forum, GHH is leading on a roadmap on patient involvement in early feasibility studies (EFS) that will guide industry and all stakeholders on involving patients in the process. Involving patients in health technologies development has been demonstrated as providing valuable evidence for regulators and HTA.

See here for more information on our work in European Projects.

This independent research initiative is led by Global Heart Hub and SDA Bocconi School of Management, Milan, and it has been made possible with financial support from Bayer and Edwards Lifesciences.
The financial supporters have no influence over the study design, data analysis, interpretation of results or reporting.