Outcomes and Impacts of 10-Year HTA Implementation in Taiwan.

OBJECTIVES: In 2007, Taiwan began conducting health technology assessments (HTA) to support the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) in its reimbursement decisions for drugs, medical devices, and medical services. METHODS: In this study, the development, missions, and procedures of the implementation of HTA in Taiwan are briefly introduced. Moreover, the value of HTA is examined by reviewing the outcomes and impacts of recent HTA-related research projects, which are classified into five categories: (i) pharmaceutical products, (ii) medical procedures, (iii) medical devices, (iv) health policy, and (v) social care. RESULTS: Overall, the 10-year implementation of HTA has not only supported the government's decision making but also enhanced patient care. Furthermore, patient evidence has been highlighted, and patient care pathways have been transformed through patient involvement in HTA. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, HTA's value has been determined by both government and social aspects in Taiwan.

Enhanced detection of visual targets on the hand and familiar tools.

This study investigated whether or not the simple detection of visual stimuli is better when those stimuli are presented on the hand than on other objects, and whether or not detection on other objects improves when people are trained to use them as tools. Participants performed a speeded visual detection task to targets presented on either side of their own left hand, a fake left hand, and a small garden rake. They were then trained to use either the fake hand or the rake as a tool with their left hand. Participants initially responded faster to stimuli projected onto their real hand than to stimuli presented on the fake hand or the tool, but they did not respond faster to stimuli on one side of the hand than on the other. After training, participants showed better detection of the visual stimuli presented on the object that they had been trained to use than they did for stimuli presented on the other object. Moreover, participants responded faster to stimuli presented on the upper side of the object that they had been trained to use than they did to stimuli on the other side. These findings demonstrate that an enhanced visual detection can be induced for stimuli presented on tools and other inanimate objects with training, suggesting that these objects have been incorporated into the body schema.

Face configuration processing in the human brain: the role of symmetry.

Symmetry is an important cue in face perception. We manipulated symmetry and other configurational variables to study their role in face processing in the human brain. We employed 2 types of symmetry: image symmetry (where one part of the image is defined as the mirrored transform of the other part about an axis) and object symmetry (where the spatial relationships among the image components are interpreted as parts of a symmetric 3-dimensional object). We compared blood oxygenation level dependent responses in healthy human observers for upright front-view faces with responses to different symmetry-controlled images. The cortical areas activated by the face images, relative to Fourier-matched scrambled images, were the fusiform (FFA) and occipital (OFA) face areas, the middle occipital gyri (MOG), and areas around the superior temporal and intraoccipital sulci (IOS). Contrasting faces and their image-symmetric scrambled versions showed a similar activation pattern except in the right OFA, suggesting an involvement in facial symmetry processing. The upright versus inverted faces (with the same image symmetry but unfamiliar object identity) showed robust differential activation in the FFA, OFA, MOG, IOS, and precuneus. The response to frontal-view versus 3/4-view faces (having the same object symmetry but disrupted image symmetry) showed little differential activation in the FFA or the OFA but strong responses in the MOG and IOS, suggesting that face processing in the FFA and the OFA is holistic and viewpoint invariant.