spain_flag  Santiago de Compostela, Spain

"Our challenge is to support decision makers (health professionals and patients) by giving them the best available scientific evidence on health technology and healthcare systems. We also contribute to evaluation, monitoring changes in current practice, and health outcomes."
 

History and Structure

The Galician Agency for Health Technology Assessment (avalia-t) was established in 1999 by the Galician Regional Government. Avalia-t is a unit of the Department of Health and has a director and multidisciplinary staff.

Mission

Our main goal is to promote the introduction, dissemination and use of health technologies using clinically proven efficacy, effectiveness and safety criteria. We also support the decision-making process by providing the best available evidence into account on the technologies clinical, economic, social, ethic and legal impact, including patient preferences. We also elaborate on clinical practice guidelines and support relevant assessment studies.

How AVALIA-T Works

Systematic reviews are our main product. Basically, we work at the request of directive entities of the Galician Department of Health. However, we also work for other public entities. Avalia-t plays a relevant role in supporting primary studies and systematic reviews on health technologies at the national level. All of our HTA reports include internal and external reviews and are always based on the best available scientific evidence. Avalia-t supports monitoring of new health technologies before their final approval and undertakes follow-up activities of new health technologies to establish its utilization once they have been introduced into clinical practice guidelines and have established an early warning system (Detecta-t) for the detection of New and Emerging Health Technologies.

Dissemination Activities

All of our HTA assessment reports are free of charge and can be downloaded from our webpage. When we finish a report we send notification by e-mail to all professionals associated with the technology assessed and also to the managers of health services. Some of our reports are published in scientific journals or institutional publications. All technical reports can be obtained upon request.

Current Projects (A Selection)

  • Clinical Practice Guideline: Suicide attemped
  • New and emerging health technologies early warning system. Detecta-t program.
  • Strategies for the diffusion and dissemination of health technology assessment (HTA) products (update).
  • Transapical and transfemoral aortic valve implantation: proposal of indicators for post-introduction observation.

Future Plans

  • To improve dissemination of HTA findings
  • To increase participation by Galician health care professionals and patients inside the HTA projects
  • To contribute to national and international collaboration on HTA

     

Agency Information

avaliat

Country: Spain
Description of population served: Galician Region
Population served (mil): 2.7
Current HTA budget (mil USD): 0.70
Permanent staff: 5
Consultants: variable
Ongoing TA projects: 12

Contact Information

Director: María José Faraldo Vallés
Contact person: Leonor Varela Lema

Scientific and Technical Advice Unit, avalia-t
Galician Agency for Health Knowledge Management (ACIS)
San Lázaro s/n
ES-15781 Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Tel: +34 88 1541831
Fax: +34 88 1542854
Internet: http://acis.sergas.es
Email: avalia-t@sergas.es