Abstract Many countries seek to secure efficiency in health spending through establishing explicit priority setting institutions (PSIs). Since such institutions divert resources from frontline services which benefit patients directly, it is legitimate and reasonable to ask whether they are worth

Pritaporn Kingkaew BPharm, MSc* * Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program (HITAP), Nonthaburi, Thailand Recently, many researchers undertaking health technology assessment of screening or vaccination programs for infectious diseases have opted for dynamic transmission models for th

Pattara Leelahavarong BSc, MSc* * Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program, Ministry of Pubic Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand A budget impact analysis (BIA) is used to assess whether the adoption of a new health technology is affordable, given the resource and budget constraints of the

Are you an expert in economic evaluations?Do you want to guide researchers around the world generate better evidence?We are calling for expert volunteers to join our Guide to Economic Analysis Research (GEAR) database. Your expertise in health economics can make a difference in generating better evi

Last month, from 7th till 11th of August, 2017, I attended a 5-day training extensive workshop on health economic evaluation organized by Health Intervention Technology Assessment Program (HITAP). The first two days focused on the basics of health economic evaluation and the last three days on advan

“What’s the value added I’m offering to the existing world of books and literature?” It is the mantra to keep in mind, repeating every few hours in my head when writing chapters to a book or even a paper. This is what I take home from the HITAP organized ‘Best Buys, Wasted Buys and Controversies in

Fertility doctors have called for a debate around whether freezing embryos should become the main option for IVF treatment in the future.An analysis of 13,000 IVF pregnancies suggested the freezing process might be better for the mother and the baby’s health.However, some fertility specialists argue

(Reuters Health) – People in developing countries with heart problems may not be able to afford new pacemakers, but a new study suggests devices removed during autopsies may have enough remaining battery life to be donated and used again.Researchers found that of 334 autopsies preformed at the Unive

(Reuters Health) – A study of nearly 190,000 young women injected with Merck & Co’s human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil found no new safety concerns.Researchers said the only side effects they observed – rare cases of skin infections and fainting – were benign and expected.“This analysis was v

From Health Section, BBC (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19910888)Sitting for long periods increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and death, researchers suggest.The scientists from Leicester and Loughborough Universities say harm is done even if people also exercise.The study, published in