MSAC Consultation Survey - Application 1779

Closes 12 Jul 2024

Opened 31 May 2024

Overview

Consultation is open on applications for consideration by the Medical Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) and its sub-committees — the PICO Advisory Sub-Committee (PASC) and Evaluation Sub-Committee (ESC)Consultation input helps MSAC and its sub-committees to better understand how a proposed health service or technology fits in the Australian health care environment. It does this by providing MSAC with an insight into the potential effect of the proposed health service or technology on:

  • the lives of people with the health condition, their carers, family, and friends
  • clinical practice and
  • the Australian health care system.

The MSAC considers applications for public funding of a wide range of health services.  The MSAC refers to these collectively as health services or technologies.

What type of health services or technologies does MSAC consider?

MSAC considers a wide range of health services or technologies including:  

  • pathology tests, such as blood or urine tests
  • diagnostic imaging procedures such as x-rays and CT scans
  • prevention and early detection services, such as cancer screening or genetic testing 
  • medical and surgical procedures
  • other services or technologies to support the diagnosis, prevention, treatment and monitoring of physical and mental health conditions.

How to provide input

You can give input to MSAC by completing the online survey. To help your preparation, you can download a copy of the questions asked in the survey. To do this, click on the relevant Microsoft Word link below (under ‘Related’). There are different questions for different types of respondents, but they all seek similar types of information. If you have trouble using the survey, you can complete the Microsoft Word version and email to commentsMSAC@health.gov.au.

To help people understand the proposed health service or technology, MSAC publishes a copy of the MSAC application form and related PICO set. You can find these documents by right clicking on the “MSAC application documents” link below (under ‘Related) and selecting ‘open link in new tab’. This will open the application webpage in a new tab.  You will find a copy of the MSAC application form and latest PICO document on the application webpage. If the MSAC PICO Advisory Sub-Committee has already considered the application, the most recent version of the PICO will be called a PICO confirmation. The 'MSAC application documents' link will not be accessible from the survey itself, so it is recommended you click on the link before you commence the survey.   

A PICO is a framework that is used when evaluating health services or technologies. It is important because it tells us about who the technology is for, how it is used, what is the alternative in Australia, and what effect it is intended to have.  

What is a PICO?

PICO stands for Population, Intervention, Comparator and Outcome and describes:

  • who would be able to use the proposed health service or technology (Population). For example, it will specify the health condition(s) and other features, such as patient age, disease stage etc.
  • the proposed health service or technology and how it would be delivered (Intervention).
  • how the health condition is currently managed in Australia (Comparator). If there is no way to manage the health condition, then this may say ‘no comparator’ or ‘best supportive care’.
  • how the effect of the proposed health service or technology will be measured (Outcome). Outcomes can be immediate, such as reduced pain, or happen in the future, such as improved five-year survival rates. Outcomes can be felt by the person or the health system, or both. For example, reduced hospitalisations.

Reviewing the PICO for the application will mean you can answer more of the survey questions. You will still be able to answer some questions without reading the PICO document. If you are unsure what to say in your input, check out the drop-down menus under most questions. These give examples of information MSAC may find helpful. Not all examples will apply to all applications.

Audiences

  • Anyone from any background

Interests

  • All