International journal of technology assessment in health care
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Int J Technol Assess Health Care · Jul 2009
Historical ArticleHealth technology assessment in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Regional Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the Americas, has tried to promote health technology assessment (HTA) in Latin America for 25 years. A certain awareness of HTA developed in several countries because of these efforts. ⋯ Countries that now are actively institutionalizing HTA include Brazil, Mexico, Chile, and Argentina. Other countries, such as Costa Rica, Colombia, Cuba, Peru, Panamá, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay, are following these trends and some others seem to be moving in this direction within the next few years.
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Int J Technol Assess Health Care · Jul 2009
Historical ArticleHealth technology assessment in Italy.
The aim of this study was to review the history of health technology assessment (HTA) in Italy. ⋯ At the local level, the hospital-based HTA activity is probably the most important peculiarity of the country and the real driver of the HTA movement.
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Int J Technol Assess Health Care · Jul 2009
Historical ArticleHistory of health technology assessment in Hungary.
In Hungary, the history of the health technology assessment (HTA) dates back to 1993 when HTA and related activities started by professional initiatives. The legal background, institutionalization, and training capacities were created between 1998 and 2004. ⋯ However, there are very important differences as well, that is why transferability and adaptability issues have to be considered. This article describes the characteristic features of the Hungarian healthcare system, the history and the current role of HTA, and the most important challenges.
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Int J Technol Assess Health Care · Jul 2009
Historical ArticleA history of health technology assessment at the European level.
This study summarizes the experience with health technology assessment (HTA) at the European level. Geographically, Europe includes approximately fifty countries with a total of approximately 730 million people. Politically, twenty-seven of these countries (500 million people) have come together in the European Union. ⋯ Around fifteen of the European countries now have formal national programs on HTA and some also have regional public programs. All countries that are members of the European Union and do not have a national approach to HTA have an interest in becoming more involved. The HTA projects sponsored by the European Commission have focused on networking and collaboration among established agencies and institutions for HTA, however, also on capacity building, support, and facilitation in creating mechanisms for HTA in European countries that still do not have any program in the field.
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Int J Technol Assess Health Care · Apr 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyThe Alberta Hip and Knee Replacement Project: a model for health technology assessment based on comparative effectiveness of clinical pathways.
The Alberta Hip and Knee Replacement Project developed a new evidence-based clinical pathway (NCP) for total hip (THR) and knee (TKR) replacement. The aim was to facilitate the delivery of services in a timely and cost-effective manner while achieving the highest quality of care for the patient across the full continuum of care from patient referral to an orthopedic surgeon through surgery, recovery, and rehabilitation. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the study design, rationale, and execution of this project as a model for health technology assessment based on comparative effectiveness of alternative clinical pathways. ⋯ The Alberta Hip and Knee Replacement Project demonstrates the feasibility and advantages of applying a pragmatic randomized controlled trial to ascertain comparative effectiveness. This is a model for health technology assessment that incorporates how clinical pathways can be effectively evaluated.