To integrate patient perspectives into Health Technology Assessment (HTA) by exploring the perceived benefits, barriers, and expectations of diabetes patients and their caregivers in Malaysia regarding the use of CGMS.

This qualitative study employed focus group discussions (FGDs) with 30 participants, including adults, adolescents, and caregivers managing insulin-requiring diabetes, conducted between May and September 2023 in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, Malaysia. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically to capture insights into CGMS benefits, barriers, and expectations.

Participants highlighted CGMS as a transformative tool, offering real-time data, improving glycemic control, and enhancing quality of life by reducing anxiety and the burden of frequent glucose checks. Despite these benefits, significant barriers were identified, including high costs, limited access, technical issues, and social stigma, particularly among adolescents. There was a strong call for government subsidies, better technical support, and healthcare provider training to optimize CGMS use. Patient perspectives were integrated into the HTA alongside systematic reviews and economic evaluations, directly informing policy recommendations, including prioritizing CGMS for high-risk T1DM patients and exploring subsidy frameworks to improve affordability.

Patient perspectives serve as a vital voice in HTA, offering real-world insights that enhance the understanding of CGMS in diabetes management. Addressing financial, technical, and social barriers is crucial to improving CGMS accessibility and usability. By embedding patient perspectives into HTA and strengthening partnerships across healthcare systems, patient perspectives become instrumental in shaping patient-centered policies and informing equitable decision-making on CGMS utilization in Malaysia.

Rare diseases (RD)-related policies have received significant attention due to the pressing medical requirements associated with these medical conditions and the substantial impact and treatments they may have on healthcare budgets. Nevertheless, policymakers frequently encounter difficulties in managing issues concerning resource allocation and prioritization within this population. Realizing the need to address such problems, this study was conducted to develop a framework based on the multicriteria decision analysis to improve RD reimbursement prioritization in Malaysia.

Primarily, a scoping review was performed to identify the methods and criteria used for the reimbursement of RD treatment, followed by strategic stakeholder engagement and a deliberative process on determining the best approach for the framework, including criteria identification, elicitation of weights, and a pilot assessment using the framework.

The findings reflected the priorities and perspectives of the stakeholders, which identified eight key criteria and their associated weights, namely effectiveness (19.6 percent), disease severity (15.6 percent), safety (14.2 percent), access to treatment (12.6 percent), economic consideration (12.2 percent), type of therapeutic treatment (11.5 percent), availability of alternatives (8.3 percent), and population group (6 percent).

In summary, the developed framework was well-accepted by the Rare Disease Committee, which will be applied as part of the committee deliberation for transparent and equitable decision making on fund allocation and reimbursement of orphan and RD treatment in Malaysia.

To determine the level of awareness of health technology assessment (HTA) and its predictors among clinical year medical students in public universities in Klang Valley, Malaysia.

A cross-sectional study using the stratified random sampling method was conducted among clinical year medical students in four public universities in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Data on the level of awareness of HTA and its associated factors were collected using a self-administered online questionnaire. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate analyses were performed using IBM SPSS version 27 to determine the level of awareness of HTA and its predictors.

Majority (69 percent) of participants had a low level of awareness of HTA. The predictors of high-level awareness of HTA were attitude toward HTA (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 7.417, 95 percent confidence interval (CI): 3.491, 15.758), peer interaction on HTA (AOR = 0.320, 95 percent CI: 0.115, 0.888), and previous training on HTA (AOR = 4.849, 95 percent CI: 1.096, 21.444).

Most future doctors in public universities exhibit a low awareness of HTA. This study highlights the interplay between attitudes toward HTA, peer interaction, and previous training as influential predictors of HTA awareness. An integrated and comprehensive educational approach is recommended to cultivate a positive attitude and harness the positive aspects of peer interaction while mitigating the potential negative impact of misconceptions. Emphasizing early exposure to HTA concepts through structured programs is crucial for empowering the upcoming generation of healthcare professionals, enabling them to navigate HTA complexities and contribute to evidence-based healthcare practices in Malaysia and beyond.

Lack of awareness has been recognized as one of the most important barriers in the implementation of health technology assessment (HTA) across numerous countries. Medical students have been identified as a vital target group to instill an awareness, basic knowledge, and positive attitude towards HTA from the beginning of their medical career. Presently, there was no study found conducted on HTA awareness in medical students in Malaysia. This study aims to determine the level of awareness of HTA, and its predictors among clinical year medical students in public universities in Klang Valley, Malaysia.

A cross-sectional study using the stratified random sampling method was conducted among clinical year medical students in four public universities in Klang Valley, Malaysia. The data on level of awareness of HTA and its associated factors were collected using a self-administered online questionnaire. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 27 to determine the level of awareness of HTA, its associated factors and predictors.

The total number of study participants was 323 and the response rate was 90 percent. The analysis showed that 69 percent of respondents had low level of awareness of HTA while 31 percent had high level of awareness of HTA. Factors associated with the level of awareness of HTA was attitude towards HTA (p < 0.001). The predictors of level of awareness of HTA were attitude towards HTA (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 7.417, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.491, 15.758), peer interaction on HTA (AOR = 0.320, 95% CI: 0.115, 0.888), and previous training on HTA (AOR = 4.849, 95% CI: 1.096, 21.444).

The majority of clinical year medical students in public university have low awareness of HTA which can be predicted by the level of attitude, peer interaction and training of HTA. Therefore, it is important to increase awareness among these future medical practitioners to encourage evidence-based decision-making. Early exposure and introduction of HTA in the current university curriculum in collaboration with a local HTA agency can be recommended to increase awareness as well as to improve students’ attitude towards HTA.

The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive overview of the evolution of health technology assessment (HTA) in Malaysia over the past decade.

We described the evolution of HTA program in Malaysia based on review of administrative data, publicly available information and quantitative description of impact evaluation.

Health Technology Assessment HTA was formalized in Malaysia in 1995 as a central structure within the Ministry of Health, Malaysia in 1995. Expansion of activities demonstrated over the years including Horizon Scanning of health technologies and implementation of evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines. Improvement on the processes in terms of types of report, quality, monitoring, and impact evaluation as well as accessibility was also carried out. Examples of impact/influence of the reports have also been demonstrated.

HTA program in Malaysia has evolved over the past decades. Its role in policy formulation and decision making of health technologies has become more significant over the years and is foreseen to be bigger in the future. As a trusted source of evidence, HTA in Malaysia will continue to strengthen the health system by advocating informed decision making and value-based medicine. As other countries in this region is trying to establish their own HTA processes and procedures, this review on the evolution of the HTA program in Malaysia might give some insights on developing a sustainable HTA program.