Health Technology is an internationally recognised term that covers any method used by those working in health services to promote health, prevent and treat disease and improve rehabilitation and long-term care. "Technologies" in this context are not confined to new drugs or pieces of sophisticated equipment

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is designed to answer the key questions of purchasers of healthcare, providers and users of services: Does this treatment work? For whom? At what cost? How does it compare with alternative treatments? Many existing treatments have not traditionally been assessed, and this has been identified as a key area of work for the HSE.

Health Technology Assessment Project

The Health Service Executive has set up a group which will develop an internal Health Technology Assessment process, in order to support the process of decision making in health care at a policy level by providing reliable, evidence based information.

The main aims of this group are:

• To identify previous HTA processes within the health services, nationally and internationally.
• To gather information on current international HTA resources, skills and experience within the HSE.
• To collaborate and liaise with HIQA in scoping out respective functions and boundaries in respect of HTA

Health Technology Assessment

The Health Intelligence team links with HIQA and with the Pharmacoeconomic Unit in regard to Health Technology Assessment.

Useful Links

• Canadian Coordinating Office for Health Technology Assessment, CCOHTA is a primary source for unbiased,evidence-based information on drugs, devices, health care systems and best practices.
  
• Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD) was established in January 1994, and aims to provide research-based information about the effects of interventions used in health and social care. Click on the link below to search the CRD databases.
• Health Technolocy Assessment on the Net: from the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. The sources annually updated and validated with criteria set out in this document.
• Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi). Focuses uniquely on health technology assessment (HTA) and provides the key forum for all those from the worlds of health care, academia and business interested in the science, development and application of HTA.
• HTAi Information Resources Vortal. Comprises a large and growing group of HTA-related web site links organized according to HTA-related subject category.
• International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA).Network of non-profit organisations involved with health technology assessment.
• McGill University: Health Technology Assessment Unit, Its purpose is to advise on difficult resource allocation decisions, using an approach based on sound, scientific technology assessments and a transparent, fair decision-making process. The Unit publishes its research when appropriate, and contributes to the training of personnel in the field of health technology assessment.
• National Library of Medicine: Introduction to Health Technology Assessment,
• The National Horizon Scanning Centre (NHSC); aims to provide advance notice to the Department of Health in England and Wales of selected key new and emerging health technologies that might require urgent evaluation, consideration of clinical and cost impact or modification of clinical guidance.
• NHS R&D Health Technology Assessment Programme. The HTA programme is a UK programme of research established and funded by the Department of Health's Research and development programme.
• The Health Services Technology/Assessment Texts (HSTAT) is a free, Web-based resource of full-text documents that provide health information and support health care decision making