Valutazione delle tecnologie sanitarie

Health technology assessment

Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is a multidimensional and multidisciplinary approach for the analysis of the medical-clinical, social, organisational, economic, ethical and legal implications of a technology, through the evaluation of several dimensions such as efficacy, safety, costs, social-organisational impact, etc. HTA aims at supporting safe, effective, sustainable and patient-centred health policies.

In Apulia, Health Technology Assessment is entrusted to the AReSS Evaluation and Research Area, which is the seat of the Regional HTA Centre (CReHTA, Centro Regionale HTA) and the hub of the Apulian HTA Network (RePuHTA, hub delle Rete Pugliese HTA); the RePuHTA is made up of the set of HTA Technical Tables (coordinated by the CReHTA) and a multidisciplinary group of company Referents appropriately identified by the public strategic Directions among the professionals who most readily intercept technological innovation in their organisations.

The HTA Technical Tables are established by Resolution of the Chief Executive Officer of AReSS, they are all coordinated by the Medical Director of the CReHTA, who avails himself of a different scientific manager for each table, and are set up to deal with specific issues at the request of policy makers, professionals, patients' associations; they can be "active" or "silent" depending on whether the activities they are engaged in are still in progress or have completed their process. The HTA technical tables can be accessed by declaring any secondary interests. The coordination of the network of HTA technical tables is entrusted to the Regional HTA Centre (CReHTA).

Active HTA technical tables

Diabetes: guarantees appropriateness of access to innovative medical devices for blood glucose monitoring, also through the production of guideline documents based on literature evidence; supports procedures for the computerisation of treatment plans for the monitoring of process and outcome indicators connected with the use of complex technologies, and studies the experiences of patients, adequately represented in the table;
Robotic Urology: aims at defining the state of the art in terms of robotic-assisted urological activity in Apulia and evaluating the performance of robotic technologies for urological use; proposes ways of tracking robotic procedures for routine monitoring purposes; proposes an in-depth study of the organisational models in use in the Regional Health Service also for the purposes of sustainability and identification of training standards. It intends to achieve the identification of key information for the creation of a register for monitoring the relevant clinical outcomes of robotic urology.

Silent HTA technical tables

Health Physics: proposes technical standards on the use of radiation in health care to the policy maker. Consistent with the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) directive on the control of doses delivered during radiological services, the technical table has also set itself the objective of developing tools that enable people to be more aware of the amounts of radiation associated with radiological services;
Nuclear medicine: analyses and verifies the dissemination of organisational models for nuclear medicine in line with current legislation, defines standardised operating procedures for the performance of nuclear medicine activities in the regional health system;
Radiotherapy oncology: monitors the Regional Plan for the governance of technology in the field of radiotherapy adopted by the Apulia Region and draws up proposals for the establishment of the Apulia Radiotherapy Network.