The Centre is planning to create an assessment board to identify the latest and best medical technology for government hospitals on the basis of an independent cost-benefit analysis.In the absence of such guidelines, these decisions are often industry-driven, putting the hapless patient at the recei

Even in health care systems in which doctors do not bill for each test they administer, the use of diagnostic imaging like CT and PET scans has soared, as has patients’ radiation exposure, a new study has found.The study, published online on Tuesday in The Journal of the American Medical Association

(Reuters Health) – A new, small study suggests medicinal marijuana may impair users’ driving skills – but might be missed by typical sobriety tests.At doses used in AIDS, cancer and pain patients, people weaved side to side more and had a slower reaction time in the hours after using the drug, resea

Pritaporn Kingkaew BPharm, MSc*, Yot Teerawattananon MD, PhD* * Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program (HITAP), Nonthaburi, Thailand While many of the principles that guide the economic evaluation of medical devices are somewhat similar to those that guide the evaluation of other

The past few years have seen significant progress in the development of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) in China. The China National Health Development Research Center (CNHDRC), the national focal point for HTA in China, has stepped up efforts to roll out HTA activities in many ways in order to s

With HTA gaining ground as a tool for priority-setting globally, it comes as no surprise that, alongside many other questions on the development of the mechanism, countries are trying to find ways to adapt HTA to their particular healthcare system and context. Such was the case the HITAP team found

The government has rejected British Medical Association claims that the NHS is risking patients’ health by rationing drugs and operations.BMA head Dr Mark Porter told the Guardian that financial pressure on the NHS meant its “offer” had shrunk and it was no longer a comprehensive service.Fears patie

This study aims to determine the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of medical rehabilitation services for inpatients suffering from a stroke. It will compare the outcome of medical rehabilitation services in terms of functional status and quality of life before and after service providing. Moreover, it will compare cost-effectiveness and cost-uti

The number of complaints made to the General Medical Council about doctors has risen 23% in the past year, the regulator says.The GMC report showed there were 8,781 in 2011 compared to 7,153 in 2010.The rise is similar to the one the year before and continues a trend which has seen complaints jump b