The French National Authority for Health’s (HAS) 2019-2024 strategic workplan called for “making public involvement a priority.” This project was designed within the roadmap validated in 2021; “Strengthening public involvement in health technology assessment (HTA) at the HAS”, including an action of building a means of training patient organizations for their contribution. The project’s overall objective was to develop with patients and consumers a first training tool, representing an online knowledge base targeting French patients and consumers to explain the HAS HTA process and assist their participation in these assessments.

Three stages were designed to meet this objective. Firstly, an international benchmark was performed of available online HTA training tools for patients and consumers, notably those used by HTA bodies and European and international patient and consumer groups (PCGs). Secondly, an internal HAS search for e-learning tools, was conducted to identify whether they could meet the training needs of French patients and consumers. Finally, the training tool was developed via a working group composed of patients and HAS scientific officers.

The benchmark identified 82 online training tools selected according to the specified inclusion criteria. Sixteen international HTA agencies, nine European and international PCGs and 13 other bodies provided online HTA training tools for patients and consumers during the research period, but no journal articles identified such tools. Eleven formats and 12 key themes, divided into two main categories were identified: important content related to HTA, and important content related to public involvement in HTA. The HAS search for e-learning tools resulted in internal e-learning tools offered for clinical experts not meeting the needs and preferences of patients and consumers. Finally, HAS based its training tool development on these preferences and needs to create a PowerPoint in two blocks of modules covering the two main categories above (six modules in total).

French patients and consumers preferences and needs for a HTA training tool were inspired by the international benchmark, dividing key themes into two main categories: important content related to HTA, and important content related to public involvement in HTA. This resulted in HAS development of two blocks of modules in PowerPoint format covering these two categories.