gms | German Medical Science

Health Technology Assessment has become an essential instrument of decision making in health policy. For providing decision maker and interested public in the German Health System with actual and validated scientific information out of health care the German Agency for Health Technology Assessment (DAHTA@DIMDI) was founded five years ago based on the Health Care Reform Act 2000 (Gesundheitsreformgesetz 2000). Being part of the German Institute for Medical Documentation and Information (DIMDI) DAHTA@DIMDI is within the scope of the German Ministry of Health and Social Security (BMGS) which guarantees objectivity und transparency of the scientific work.

For providing current medical information DAHTA@DIMDI built up a computer based information system which can be accessed internationally without charge. The information system contains the HTA-database with HTA-reports from Germany in all areas of health care available at no cost as full text. Selected international HTA-reports are also offered including summaries and abstracts translated into German. This is complemented by information about the HTA processes, methods and standards used by DAHTA@DIMDI. Courses, seminars and lectures offer further training for those interested in HTA. Outstanding is the HTA symposium organised by DAHTA@DIMDI which provides a platform for the exchange between the user of HTA and the experts.

The HTA-reports of DAHTA@DIMDI base on a standardised and quality assured process which has been developed through the last five years. It considers also the requirements of all of the different decision making bodies in German Health Care by an integrated open prioritisation process. The HTA-reports are published through German Medical Science-HTA (GMS-HTA), the new electronic journal of DAHTA@DIMDI, which is produced in collaboration with the German National Library of Medicine and the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany. Besides reports GMS-HTA provides a broad range of information out of the scope of HTA.

Based on the established information system and HTA-process DAHTA@DIMDI plans further support of the variety of decision maker in Health Care. To raise the quality of products HTA procedures and structures will be further developed according to the European HTA projects and national requirements. The systematic support of education and training in HTA through the information system is another task.

Information System: http://www.dimdi.de, Link: HTA

GMS-HTA: http://www.egms.de/en/journals/hta/index.shtml

The complete lecture can be found on the website of DIMDI: http://www.dimdi.de/static/de/hta/symposien/2005/index.htm