Health care technology assessment: implications for modern medical practice. Part I. Understanding technology adoption and analyses.

In the modern era of rapidly rising medical costs, health care technology assessment--multidisciplinary evaluation of clinical and economic aspects of technology--has assumed an increasingly important role in health policy and clinical decision-making. This review examines health care technology adoption, its impact on medical and surgical practice, and recent trends in health care technology assessment. Part I discusses the difficult challenges posed by assessment and provides a guide to the methodologies used.