Due to the rapid population growth among elderly people and the resulting increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases, the health industry has invested a great deal of capital and effort into developing innovative and advanced health technologies. These new technologies provide benefits, but on the other hand, they also increase national healthcare costs and cause uncertai nty in safety and effectiveness. Horizon scanning activities could provide inform ation about the potential impact and expected benefits of emerging health technology to patients, policy makers, and the health industry. We reviewed the UK’s National Institute for Health Research Horizon Scanning Centre (NHIR HSC) and a global horizon scanning network, EuroScan. We also surveyed potential customers for horizon scanning activities to understand their
demands and to consider the dissemination about the results of horizon scanning activities. Based on understanding and reviewing the horizon scanning systems of other countries, we developed the H-SIGHT Toolkit for the Republic of Korea.
Utilizing the tools we developed to perform the research activities, a total of four cases were analyzed and their associated Horizon Scanning Repor ts were published.We believe that the horizon scanning system we developed can pr ovide preemptive information about the potential impact of new health technologies. The system can be expected to contribute to the development of related industries to enhance the predictability of Korea’s national investment in health R & D.
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