HTA Resources

Definitions

Healthcare technology is defined as prevention and rehabilitation, vaccines, pharmaceuticals and devices, medical and surgical procedures, and the systems within which health is protected and maintained.

Technology assessment in health care is a multidisciplinary field of policy analysis. It studies the medical, social, ethical, and economic implications of development, diffusion, and use of health technology.

From the ECHTA/ECAHI Summary report

Health technology assessment (HTA) seeks to inform health policy makers by using the best scientific evidence on the medical, social, economic and ethical implications of investments in health care. Technology is broadly defined to include the drugs, devices, medical and surgical procedures used in health care, as well as measures for prevention and rehabilitation of disease, and the organisational and support systems in which health care is provided.

Assessment includes:

• Identifying evidence, or lack of evidence, on the benefits and costs of health interventions
• Synthesising health research findings about the effectiveness of different health interventions
• Evaluating the economic implications and analysing cost and cost-effectiveness
• Appraising social and ethical implications of the diffusion and use of health technologies as well as their organisational implications
• The HTA process helps identify best practices in health care, thereby enhancing safety, improving quality and saving costs.

	ECHTA/ECAHI Executive Summary
	Best Practice in Undertaking and Reporting HTAs. WG4 report in the ECHTA/ECAHI Project. Intl J of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 18:2(2002),361–422.

Resources for HTA - HTAi and INAHTA’s White Paper to WHO

This overview on Resources for HTA was requested by WHO and developed by HTAi in collaboration with INAHTA. The paper describes the important role that HTA can play in decisions about health policy and practice in developed and developing countries. It summarizes the present state of HTA around the world and the potential for and extent of international collaboration. HTA is presented as a tool for bridging the know-do gap in health care  management, recognizing common and contrasting challenges of improving the use of HTA in developed and developing countries. Finally, the paper describes the roles of HTAi and INAHTA and their collaborative efforts to promote the use of HTA around the world.

HTAi Information Resources Vortal

The HTAi Information Resources Vortal comprises a large and growing group of HTA-related web site links organized according to HTA-related subject category. The HTAi Information Resources Group is committed to continuously building on its contents to ensure that this dynamic HTA resource contains the latest information. Visit the HTAi vortal

Early Warning Systems

Early identification and assessment system for new and emerging health care technologies, also called early warning system (EWS) or horizon scanning. Read more about early warning.

Skills Development Program

The HTA unit at IHE (Alberta, Canada) provides the opportunity for health care professionals who wish to learn the methods of health technology assessment to do so in a six month long skills development program.

A program description, objectives, and external review of the program is available on IHE's website

Reports (suggested reading)

This is a list of reports or papers produced by people and agencies in INAHTA, which could be relevant for people interested in HTA.