Involving patients in HTA activities at local level: a study protocol based on the collaboration between researchers and knowledge users

For Objective 1, we will conduct individual interviews with various stakeholders affected by the use of alternatives to isolation and restraint for hospitalized or institutionalized adults. For Objective 2, we will implement three specific strategies for patient involvement in HTA: a) direct participation in the HTA process, b) consultation of patients or their close relatives through data collection, and c) patient involvement in the dissemination of HTA results. For Objectives 3 and 4, we will evaluate the intervention processes and the impact of patient involvement strategies on the recommendations arising from the HTA and the understanding of the ethical and social implications of the HTA.This project is likely to influence future HTA practices because it directly targets knowledge users' need for strategies that increase patient involvement in HTA. By documenting the processes and outcomes of these involvement strategies, the project will contribute to the knowledge base related to patient involvement in HTA.The purpose of health technology assessment (HTA) is to summarize information about the clinical, economic, psychological, social and ethical aspects of health technologies (e.g. prevention programs, drugs, medical devices, procedures or systems used in screening, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation or palliation) in order to inform decisions about the introduction or use of these technologies [1]. To date, however, most HTA activities have focused on the clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness of health technologies to the detriment of the other dimensions [2-4], such as their social and ethical aspects and the patient perspective, both of which are emphasized as important in the literature [5-11]. As direct beneficiaries of the technologies, patients have concrete knowledge of the impact and effects of treatments and technologies on their condition and on other areas of their lives [1]. Taking their perspective into account is therefore essential i