MAST (Model for Assessment of Telemedicine)
MAST is a structured method to help decision makers evaluate telemedicine applications. It supports assessments across multiple areas like effectiveness, cost, safety, and patient impact, and helps determine whether a telemedicine solution can work in different settings.
At a glance
Use when
When evaluating new or existing telemedicine applications for adoption, scaling, or policy decisions.
Avoid when
When a rapid or narrowly focused assessment (e.g., only cost or only clinical outcomes) is sufficient.
Inputs
Data on clinical outcomes, economic data, patient-reported outcomes, organizational workflows, legal and ethical considerations, and context of use.
Outputs
Comprehensive assessment report covering multiple HTA domains and transferability potential of the telemedicine application.
How it works
MAST was developed through stakeholder workshops and builds on the EUnetHTA Core HTA Model. It consists of three components: preceding considerations, multidisciplinary assessment across seven domains (clinical effectiveness, safety, economic aspects, organizational aspects, patient and social aspects, ethical aspects, and legal aspects), and transferability assessment. It was validated through application in 20 studies across nine European countries within the Renewing Health project (2010–2013).
- HTA domains
- Clinical Effectiveness, Costs & Economic Evaluation, Safety, Patient and Social Aspects
- Assumptions
- Assumes that multidisciplinary input is available and that context-specific factors are considered during assessment.
- Strengths
- Comprehensive, multi-domain framework; developed with stakeholder input; based on established HTA principles; tested in real-world European settings.
- Limitations
- May require significant resources and expertise to apply fully; transferability assessment depends on local context variability.
- Also known as
- Model for Assessment of Telemedicine applications
Questions this answers
- › Is the telemedicine application clinically effective?
- › What are the economic implications of implementing the telemedicine application?
- › How does the application affect patient experience and social outcomes?
- › What organizational changes are needed for implementation?
- › Are there safety or ethical concerns with the application?
- › Can the telemedicine application be transferred and implemented in other settings?
References & sources
Similar by meaning
Beta record. Based on the original catalogue summary; primary-source enrichment pending.