This paper is based on a narrative review to identify and describe approaches to incorporate ethical aspects in Health Technology Assessment (HTA). On the first decade HTA was being established as a new area of research, the social and ethical dimensions seemed to play an essential role. This perspective, centered on the social impact of technology contrasts with the current definition, which focuses on the technical conditions of technology, especially properties and effects. Some authors have discussed the obstacles to include the ethical dimension into this area to a large extent. Those authors were motivated by the perception that there are few sections explicitly dedicated to these dimensions in the evaluation reports.

We searched these scientific databases: Pubmed, Cochrane Library, Centre for Review and Dissemination (CRD), PDQ - Evidence and Virtual Health Library (VHL), and selected studies that presented procedures and methodologies for the inclusion of ethical analysis in HTA.

A total of 308 articles were retrieved, nine of them were included. The identified methods were classified into four groups according to the parameters and procedures: (i) normative-based evaluation, (ii) case comparison-based evaluation; (iii) predefined questionnaire application-based evaluation and iv) debate and deliberation-based evaluation.

The result showed a great diversity of approaches (1 - 3) for the inclusion of the ethical dimension in the evaluation studies of health technologies, which can even be used together. It is suggested that its use considers the characteristics and needs of each different application contexts.

This work presented as methodological base of approaches for the integration of the ethical dimension in the HTA field. Nonetheless, the proposed approaches to the incorporation of philosophical field of ethics into the systematization and objectivity field of the HTA reveal a considerable approach diversity that is applied productively. Since it has been agreed that technology evaluation is contextual, different approaches would help to meet the needs for possible adjustment.