Obsolete health technology assessment is a novel aspect of health technology assessment. Accordingly, it is necessary to have a guide that serves as orientation in the drawing-up of reports that appraise such technologies. An obsolete technology report should be characterised, above all, by its brevity and specificity. It is essential that the research question posed is clear, which in this case will be defined by the name of the obsolete technology and its indication where applicable. Similarly, good cause must be shown for recommending the obsolescence of the technology in question, along with any alternative health technology available to patients where this exists.
An obsolete health technology identification and assessment programme should produce documents similar to those issued on new and emerging technologies, albeit with a different seo pe. In new technologies it is important to indicate the precise data source, the amount and quality of the evidence available, along with the expected impact, broken down, if possible, into human resources, financial resources, organisational impact and/or other relevant aspects. In the case of an obsolete technology, it is not quite so important to know the source of the data on the technology (i.e., whence the idea of its obsolescence stems). It is, however, extremely important to know whether there is an alternative that might entail a greater overall benefit for the patient or health-care system, which is in fact the reason for the evaluated technology being obsolete. This conclusion indicates that there is no need to adhere to the classic structure of a health technology assessment report, and a specific structure for this type of assessment can therefore be developed.
This assessment should give a detailed description of the characteristics of the potentially obsolete technology and the alternative technology, as well as the context of application of the potentially obsolete technology (and its diffusion), which indirectly affords insight into the expected impact of its possible withdrawal from the service portfolio.