According to the Quebec law on health and social services, health technology assessment (HTA) is part of university hospital centers’ mission, together with training, research and care. However, unlike these other functions, HTA is not covered in current affiliation agreements that bind a university with academic health institutions. Université Laval and its affiliated health institutions set up a consultation committee whose mandate is to propose the terms of an agreement to specify collaboration regarding HTA between the university and its affiliated institutions. This study investigates perceptions and needs of stakeholders from Université Laval and its affiliated health institutions with respect to the HTA mission.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four types of participants, namely university faculty members, health professionals and managers from institutions with and without HTA units, as well as external partners. Interview guides were developed based on the integrated analysis framework of Greenhalgh et al., and adapted to each group of respondents. Most interviews were conducted in groups and were facilitated by a research associate and a senior investigator. Interviews were recorded and uploaded to NVivo 1.6.2 software for codification and analysis.

A total of 57 people were interviewed (nine group interviews and 35 individual interviews). Three main themes emerged, namely knowledge of HTA, factors related to the relevance of the HTA function, and organizational factors. Results showed that half of the respondents have a vague knowledge of HTA or have never heard of it. Most of the respondents agreed that the HTA function fits well with the mission of a health institution. They would accept getting involved with HTA activities at different levels if all conditions are met. Nevertheless, almost half of respondents believed that others strategies than including HTA into contracts of affiliation should be explored to regulate this function. Finally, organizational obstacles such as the lack of funding, shortage of staff and the lack of well-structured collaborations were highlighted by respondents.

Despite recognition of the importance of the HTA function in university health centers, interventions will be required at different levels to support the development of local HTA capacity. In particular, popularization of the HTA function and collaboration networks through specific projects should be developed.