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Table 2 Specification of hypotheses: links between components of coverage decision processes

From: Decision-making in healthcare: a practical application of partial least square path modelling to coverage of newborn screening programmes

Component: cause

 

Component: effect

Hypothesized relationship

Transparency

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Reasonableness

The more documents are provided that strongly relate to dissemination of the process and decision outcome, the higher is the extent to which the decision is appraised against reasonable criteria because this facilitates a better control of the decision-makers.

Participation

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Reasonableness

The more stakeholders participate in different stages of decision-making, the more they mutually ensure that the technology is appraised against reasonable criteria.

Scientific rigour of assessment

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Reasonableness

The higher the methodological standards by which the technology is assessed, the higher is the extent to which the decision is appraised against reasonable criteria, because decision-makers can draw upon better evidence regarding whether the criteria are met.

Transparency

→

Scientific rigour of assessment

The more documents are provided that strongly relate to dissemination of the process and decision outcome, the higher the methodological standard of technology assessment because the methodological quality can be better controlled by the scientific community.

Participation

→

Scientific rigour of assessment

The more stakeholders participate in different stages of decision-making, the higher the scientific standard of technology assessment because more evidence is identified and improvements of a weak evidence basis can more easily be enforced.