Developing a European Network

News release from NETSCC, HTA

17 December 2009

The HTA adaptation toolkit and accompanying multinational glossary have published in the Health Technology Assessment journal series. These have been developed by NETSCC (previously NCCHTA) as part of its involvement in establishing an effective and sustainable European Network for HTA (EUnetHTA).

HTA reports are frequently produced on the same health technologies in different countries at around the same time. Resources could potentially be saved and directed towards the production of additional reports on different health technologies if existing reports can be adapted for use in different settings.

The EUnetHTA project was set up over three-year, from 2006-8, to enable the development of practical tools to support the HTA process. It involved HTA agencies, research institutions, and health ministries from across 24 European countries and was supported jointly by the European Commission and member states. Work was divided into eight separately managed work packages, ranging from monitoring emerging technologies, creation of core HTA information, adaptation of HTA reports, and supporting new HTA agencies.

NETSCC led on the production of a toolkit and glossary of adaptation terms to help HTA agencies in different countries adapt existing HTA reports and apply them to their own setting. An iterative process was used to understand partners’ experience of adaptation, identify and explore their views of its purpose and develop the content of the toolkit and glossary.

The toolkit is a collection of resources, which are in the form of checklists on relevance, reliability and transferability of data and information. It has been designed for the adaptation of evidence synthesis rather than primary research. Adapted reports are already being used to inform policymaking. The NETSCC team is now looking at further improvements to the toolkit and glossary, including developing interactive online versions.

This work is continuing with the EUnetHTA Joint Action project running from 2010-2012, which aims to put into practice an effective and sustainable HTA collaboration in Europe that brings added value at the European, national and regional level.

To view the full journal visit www.hta.ac.uk/1511. Alongside this the work from all of the eight work packages including the HTA toolkit and glossary will be published in the next issue of the International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care visit http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=THC

More information on the work of EUnetHTA is also available via the EUnetHTA website www.eunethta.net and from Dr Eleanor Guegan; e.guegan@southampton.ac.uk.

Notes for editors

 1. The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme commissions research about the effectiveness, costs, and broader impact of health technologies for those who use, manage and provide care in the NHS. It is the largest NIHR programme and publishes the results of its research in the Health Technology Assessment journal, with over 530 issues published to date. The journal’s 2009 Impact Factor (4.197) ranked it in the top 10% of medical and health-related journals. All issues are available for download free of charge from the website, www.hta.ac.uk

2. The National Institute for Health Research provides the framework through which the research staff and research infrastructure of the NHS in England is positioned, maintained and managed as a national research facility. The NIHR provides the NHS with the support and infrastructure it needs to conduct first-class research funded by the Government and its partners alongside high-quality patient care, education and training. Its aim is to support outstanding individuals (both leaders and collaborators), working in world class facilities (both NHS and university), conducting leading edge research focused on the needs of patients. www.nihr.ac.uk

Contact details

Naomi Williams, Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 595 646, Email: N.E.Williams@southampton.ac.uk

Emma Sunderland, Assistant Programme Manager (Communications)
Telephone: 02380 599 094, Email: E.Sunderland@southampton.ac.uk

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