Presentation at HTAi Annual meeting 2017, panel session "Rescuing the HTA database – future options and challenges" A central, international database for HTA reports and other HTA products is considered to be a vital source of information for healthcare researchers and stakeholders. The current HTA database, which contains over 15,000 documents submitted by numerous HTA agencies, was originally established by the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA) in 2007 and is available on the website of the UK Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD). The database has so far been funded by the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Its existence is however endangered as future funding is unclear. If no alternative is found, it will no longer be maintained and only an archived version will be available. There would thus no longer be a single access point to HTA reports. Previous research has indicated that more than 75% of HTA agencies use the HTA database and more than half adapt common HTA products from reports produced by other agencies.1 The lack of an HTA database would have a direct impact on these activities. Smaller HTA agencies would be particularly affected, as they often have insufficient resources to produce their own reports and rely on reports from larger agencies. The wider consequences should also be considered: for instance, the decreasing visibility of HTA reports would diminish their relevance. It may also become more difficult to establish collaborations between HTA agencies. The problem would thus affect the whole HTA community. Often, however, a crisis also offers opportunities. The establishment of a new HTA database should include a re-evaluation of its structure and technical functions (e.g. inclusion of ongoing projects). Structure of the session: Short presentations will be held to provide an overview of the different perspectives of the various HTA agencies and networks currently involved in the discussions on the future of the HTA database. The panel will focus on the initiatives to rescue the database and present the options for funding, hosting, structure and technical functions. There will also be a guided discussion on the possible solutions presented and the challenges faced. Panel/Workshop outcome and objectives: At the end of the session, participants should be aware of the overall importance of the HTA database, the current status quo, and the potential features of a future HTA database.

1. European network for Health Technology Assessment | JA3 2016-2020 | www.eunethta.eu
The
EUnetHTA perspective
Rescuing the HTA database – future options and challenges
HTAi 2017 Annual Meeting
Rome, Italy
June 17-21, 2017
Patrice X. Chalon,
coordinator of the EUnetHTA Work Package 6 Activity Centre B “Scientific guidance and tools”

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EUNETHTA
EUNETHTA AND THE HTA DATABASE
TECHNICAL OPTION
CONCLUSION

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The European network
for Health Technology
Assessment (EUnetHTA)
Network:
81 partners consisting of
national, regional and non-for-
profit agencies that produce or
contribute to HTA
Project Coordinator:
Dutch National Health Care
Institute (ZIN)
Funded by:
2006-2008: Project
2010-2012: Joint Action 1
2012-2015: Joint Action 2
2016-2020: Joint Action 3

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EUnetHTA objectives
To produce high quality HTA joint assessments
To favor uptake and implementation of joint HTA work at
the national, regional and local level and therefore
reduce duplication of efforts and enhance efficiency
To build a sustainable network JA3

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EUnetHTA Outputs
Assessments
• 23 published
(since 2006)
• 7 ongoing
Tools
• EUnetHTA Evidence
Submission Templates
• HTA Adaptation toolkit
• HTA Core Model®
• POP database
• EVIDENT database
Methods
• 1 Procedure manual
• 14 Methodological
guidelines
• 1 Concept paper

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EUnetHTA Assessments
1. Health problem and current use of
technology (CUR)
2. Description and technical
characteristics of technology (TEC)
3. Safety (SAF)
4. Clinical effectiveness (EFF)
5. Costs and economic evaluation (ECO)
6. Ethical analysis (ETH)
7. Organisational aspects (ORG)
8. Patients and Social aspects (SOC)
9. Legal aspects (LEG)
Core assessments
Rapid Relative Effectiveness
Assessments
1. Health problem and current use of
technology (CUR)
2. Description and technical
characteristics of technology (TEC)
3. Safety (SAF)
4. Clinical effectiveness (EFF)
5. Costs and economic evaluation (ECO)
6. Ethical analysis (ETH)
7. Organisational aspects (ORG)
8. Patients and Social aspects (SOC)
9. Legal aspects (LEG)
1-4 Rapid REA
model
6-9 Replaced by
checklists
Sources:
https://meka.thl.fi/htacore/model/HTACoreModel3.0.pdf; http://meka.thl.fi/htacore/model/HTACoreModel_ForRapidREAs4.2.pdf
JA3

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EUNETHTA
EUNETHTA AND THE HTA
DATABASE
TECHNICAL OPTION
CONCLUSION

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Description of ongoing projects
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Sharing information about planned projects
helps to identify topics that may could result
in a EUnetHTA Joint / Collaborative
assessment
Some EUnetHTA partners may not make their
research program public
EUnetHTA developed its own tool: the
Planned and Ongoing Projects database
(POP DB)
EUnetHTA and CRD have been in contact to
evaluate the options for interoperability
between EUnetHTA POP DB and HTA DB
(public ongoing projects)

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Description of reports
Sharing information about published
reports (national or EUnetHTA
assessments) at international level is
considered as a priority for EUnetHTA
CRD HTA DB being existing and well
established, EUnetHTA did not planned
to develop a database describing
published reports but invited its partners
to provide content to the HTA DB
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INAHTA initiative
• EUnetHTA does not
participate as such, but
EUnetHTA partners were
encouraged to participate
in the consortium
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• EUnetHTA participates in the
task group
1. HTA database should
keep the MeSH
indexation
2. HTA database should
allow to avoid multiple
encoding of the same
information
Consortium Task group

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EUNETHTA
EUNETHTA AND THE HTA DATABASE
OPTION 3: INSTITUTIONAL
REPOSITORY PLATFORM
(OAI-PMH COMPLIANT)
CONCLUSION

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Similar to current functionalities
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Search
Access

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Option 3 : Expected added value
Automatic
dissemination
to other grey
literature
aggregators
Reduce
burden
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Favour
immediacy
Option for the
“long term”
archiving of
HTA reports

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Protocol “OAI-PMH” = Client - server principle
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Client (HARVEST meta data)
Server (EXPOSE meta data)
Sync
1
IMPORT
2
˗ Open Archives Initiative – Protocol for
Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH)
FOR
DUMMIES

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Protocol “OAI-PMH” = Client - server principle
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Server (EXPOSE meta data)
Client (HARVEST meta data)
Sync
1
IMPORT
2
˗ Open Archives Initiative – Protocol for
Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH)
FOR
DUMMIES

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HTA DB: Actors and roles
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Disseminate reports description
Ensure HTA db brokering
Identify HTA reports

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HTA DB feeding: legacy situation
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1
MeSH
Abstract
Encode (1st)
3
Use (Search)
Search
Access
2
HTA DB
Encode (2nd)
MeSH
Abstract

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HTA DB feeding: Option 3
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1
MeSH
Abstract
Encode (once)
2
HTA DB
Meta
data
Import (automatic)
3
Use (Search)
Search
Access

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Option 3 : Expected added value
Automatic
dissemination
to other grey
literature
aggregators
Reduce
burden
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Favour
immediacy
Option for the
“long term”
archiving of
HTA reports

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EUNETHTA
EUNETHTA AND THE HTA DATABASE
TECHNICAL OPTION
CONCLUSION

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EUnetHTA plans for the HTA DB
• If this content type is
maintained at the HTA
DB, contacts will be
pursued to avoid multiple
encoding of the same
information
• EUnetHTA wish the HTA DB
to include the description
of EUnetHTA assessments
to help to reduce the global
duplication of efforts and
support the global HTA
community
Description of projects Description or reports

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Towards An
HTA Ecosystem:
From Local
Needs To Global
Opportunities

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Thank you!
Visit us at https://www.eunethta.eu
This presentation arises from the EUnetHTA Joint Action 3
which has received funding from the European Union, in the
framework of the Health Programme