Technology assessment and the evaluation of implanted medical devices.
Technology assessment is attracting new attention and funding as concern about costs and effectiveness of health care grows.  This article provides a general overview of technology assessment and relates recent trends and future prospects specifically to the use and evaluation of implanted medical devices.  In the next decade we may expect to see renewed interest in technology assessment as pressure to control health care costs continues and as a different focus of evaluation emerges that emphasizes patient preferences and quality of life in addition to traditional measures of safety, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness.  These pressures and forces will act to increase the visibility and importance of proper assessment of medical technology, and the field may more nearly achieve its early promise as a tool to make medical care more rational.
Rafferty
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Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30303.
Curry
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RH
D003256:Community Participation; D003363:Cost Control; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003657:Decision Making; D005544:Forecasting; D006077:Government Agencies / Q000266:history; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006291:Health Policy; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000191:economics / Q000639:trends; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical / Q000191:economics / Q000266:history / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States