Informed decisions in health: the role of Health Technology Assessment

At the Institute for Clinical and Health Effectiveness (IECS), we work to optimize the use of health resources, promoting equity and effective access to quality health interventions. A key piece in this process is the Health Technology Assessment (HTA), a comprehensive analysis that examines the effectiveness, safety and cost-effectiveness of medicines, vaccines, medical devices and health programs.

"Today, many countries, especially low- and middle-income countries, face critical decisions about whether to incorporate new health technologies into their health systems. These decisions must be made quickly, even when complete economic information is not available, which can lead to implementing interventions that are not cost-effective or excluding technologies that could significantly improve people's quality of life.", says Prof. Dr. Andrés Pichon-Riviere, general director of the IECS.

To address these challenges, the Adaptive ETESA o Adaptive HTA, an innovative methodology that offers a balance between the lack of economic evidence and comprehensive evaluations. This approach provides useful and timely information on the likelihood that a technology is cost-effective in a specific context, adapting to the limitations of time, resources and available data. Although not a substitute for full economic evaluations, Adaptive HTA provides valuable support for more informed and responsible decisions.

Main benefits of Adaptive ETESA

● Provides rapid estimates on the cost-effectiveness of a technology.

● Facilitates the prioritization of resources, especially in contexts where the budgetary impact of decisions is significant.

● Provides a practical approach for contexts where comprehensive assessments are not feasible.

In this video, Prof. Dr. Andrés Pichon-Riviere explains in detail the advantages of Adaptive ETESA. watch video here

Regional impact and training opportunities

At IECS, we have applied Adaptive HTA in numerous projects in Argentina and other countries in the region. This has allowed us to support decision-makers in updating benefit plans and selecting priority technologies, maximizing the positive impact on health systems and ensuring efficient use of resources.

To learn more about this topic, we invite you to explore our training programs in HTA, economic evaluations and systematic reviews: Learn more here