Overview of information retrieval in a hospital-based health technology assessment center in a Swedish region

Abstract

Objectives This article aims to provide a brief review of information retrieval and hospital-based health technology assessment (HB-HTA) and describe library experiences and working methods at a regional HB-HTA center from the center's inception to the present day. Methods For this brief literature review, searches in PubMed and LISTA were conducted to identify studies reporting on HB-HTA and information retrieval. The description of the library's involvement in the HTA center and its working methods is based on the authors’ experience and internal and/or unpublished documents. Results Region Västra Götaland is the second largest healthcare region in Sweden and has had a regional HB-HTA center since 2007 (HTA-centrum). Assessments are performed by clinicians supported by HTA methodologists. The medical library at Sahlgrenska University Hospital works closely with HTA-centrum, with one HTA librarian responsible for coordinating the work. Conclusion In the literature on HB-HTA, we found limited descriptions of the role librarians and information specialists play in different units. The librarians at HTA-centrum play an important role, not only in literature searching but also in abstract and full-text screening.

The Need to Implement Health Technology Assessment in Polish Hospitals—A Survey of 50 Hospital Managers

“…Other experiences with HB-HTA, i.e., IMPlementation of A Quick hospital-based HTA (IMPAQHTA) in the Lombardy Region (Italy) in 2017, have shown that allowing for a rapid assessment and the provision of relevant information that hospital managers need for making investment decisions in health technologies are some of the key features of a wholesome and implementable HB-HTA framework [ 20 ]. Stadig et al (2021) also approached the issue of the availability of relevant information by describing the practices of data retrieval, underlining the involvement of librarians [ 21 ]. These elements were reflected in our research as benefits (sorting out and making sense of available data/information) and obstacles (insufficient time to conduct an HB-HTA assessment).…”