HTA agency, Poland
Generalisability
‘Generalisability’ is the extension of specific research findings and conclusions from a study conducted on a (relatively limited) sample population to the population at large (for example to the whole population of the country).
In many ways, generalisability amounts to nothing more than making predictions based on a recurring experience. Having collected sufficient data to support a hypothesis, a premise regarding the behavior of that data can be formulated, making it generalisable to similar circumstances .
There is a small but significant difference between ‘applicability’ and ‘generalisability’ -
The more generalisable a finding (ex. multinational RCT) the better regarded it is, however the more generalisable a result the less applicable it is to specific populations (ex. specific race).
Transferability
Transferability is the ability to apply something that has already been implemented in another context with regard to consequences resulting from certain differences, for example:
-Transferring chosen (applicable) data, results/conclusions on medical technology in question from existing HTA report.
-The ability to transfer experience, results, conclusions from one research to other (different but comparable) population.
This term may refer to the possibility of ‘transferring’: data (economic, clinical results/published evidence), methods, principals, policies.
Transferability of economic data in health technology assessment defines key variable economic data, defines guidelines for acceptance data from outside a country taking into consideration existing national guidelines. Transferability of costs (and cost-effectiveness) estimates between populations/countries remains problematic. When transferability of data is doubtful/limited due to their specificity - calculations and even conclusions may need to be reworked for different setting.
Transferability can be considered in regard to developing organization (like AHTAPol), where it enables to set its own principles, objectives (although based on the best practice/experience of other Agencies) own priorities, to have control over institutional building, and to evaluate progress in development from its own perspective rather than from that of an external agency.
Transferability can be understood as process performed by readers of research (doers of HTA report among them). This process is based on comparing the specifics of the research situation to the specifics of an environment or situation, which are familiar to the reader. If there are enough similarities between the two situations, it is possible to infer that the results of the research would be the same or similar in the other situation.
Whereas ‘generalisability’ is based on the extension of the use/application of conclusions, the ‘transferability’ is done based on parallel transfer/application of these conclusions to other but comparable settings.
1. Overview: Generalisability and Transferability, Colorado State University web site - http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/research/gentrans/index.cfm