Article type
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Abstract
Background: The Health Technology Inquiry Service (HTIS) at the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) provides Canadian health care decision makers with health technology assessment (HTA) information in a timely manner. Some decisions need to be made quickly and comprehensive HTA reports usually cannot be prepared in short timeframes. Other HTA topics are not prioritized by CADTH's advisory committees as being of high relevance or urgency. HTIS can respond to these requestors within the shorter timelines while still providing the information required to make an evidence-based decision. Depending on the urgency, potential impact and the resources available, there are four different HTIS products that can be produced. These products include a list of references with abstracts and links to full text articles, a summary of the best available evidence, a peer-reviewed summary of the best available evidence or a peer-reviewed systematic review of the evidence (i.e., a rapid review).
Objectives: To demonstrate how HTIS is utilized by CADTH to provide decision makers with the evidence they require in a timely and efficient manner when a full HTA report is not possible due to time constraints or competing priorities.
Methods: Information regarding HTIS reports originating as full HTA requests since August 1, 2006 was gathered. Report request dates and HTIS report completion dates were gathered to demonstrate the time needs of the requestor. Requestors were contacted and asked to rate the usefulness of the report, satisfaction with the content of the report, satisfaction with the waiting time for the report as well as how the report was used in decision making.
Results: Two lists of references, three summaries, three peer-reviewed summaries and three rapid reviews on topics that were originally submitted for consideration as full HTA reports were completed by HTIS. These reports were tailored to the needs of the requestors and all were used in decision-making. All summaries were completed within the requestor's required timeframe and evaluations of the reports indicate that these reports were useful and satisfied the needs of the requestors. Challenges with the HTIS program include meeting timelines and refining topics into manageable and answerable research questions, managing resource capacity and balancing quality and rigour with meeting the timeliness of rapidly produced reports.
Conclusions: HTIS is useful for those decision makers who do not require the full scope of information contained within a full HTA report and who require the information within a much shorter time frame. Information can be provided within days for a list of references, four weeks for a summary and sixteen weeks for a rapid review. Feedback from requestors about this service has been positive and the program has proven to be successful. HTIS requires dedicated staff and well defined processes to deliver relevant, high quality, evidence-based information in shortened timelines.
Objectives: To demonstrate how HTIS is utilized by CADTH to provide decision makers with the evidence they require in a timely and efficient manner when a full HTA report is not possible due to time constraints or competing priorities.
Methods: Information regarding HTIS reports originating as full HTA requests since August 1, 2006 was gathered. Report request dates and HTIS report completion dates were gathered to demonstrate the time needs of the requestor. Requestors were contacted and asked to rate the usefulness of the report, satisfaction with the content of the report, satisfaction with the waiting time for the report as well as how the report was used in decision making.
Results: Two lists of references, three summaries, three peer-reviewed summaries and three rapid reviews on topics that were originally submitted for consideration as full HTA reports were completed by HTIS. These reports were tailored to the needs of the requestors and all were used in decision-making. All summaries were completed within the requestor's required timeframe and evaluations of the reports indicate that these reports were useful and satisfied the needs of the requestors. Challenges with the HTIS program include meeting timelines and refining topics into manageable and answerable research questions, managing resource capacity and balancing quality and rigour with meeting the timeliness of rapidly produced reports.
Conclusions: HTIS is useful for those decision makers who do not require the full scope of information contained within a full HTA report and who require the information within a much shorter time frame. Information can be provided within days for a list of references, four weeks for a summary and sixteen weeks for a rapid review. Feedback from requestors about this service has been positive and the program has proven to be successful. HTIS requires dedicated staff and well defined processes to deliver relevant, high quality, evidence-based information in shortened timelines.