AFRO-NETS> New Learning Resource for Health Technology Assessment

[Rebecca Warburton <rnwarbur@uvic.ca>]

New Learning Resource for Health Technology Assessment
------------------------------------------------------

Where can busy health care professionals and managers learn about 
health technology assessment (HTA), without ever leaving home?

Now there's a distance-learning course developed jointly by the Uni-
versity of Victoria and the British Columbia Health Research Founda-
tion (British Columbia, Canada).

This innovative course offers "lectures" at a secure website, letting 
you study where and when you have time. Submit assignments and re-
ceive instructor comments by e-mail. Complete a project in your area 
of interest, with expert guidance and assistance.

Extensive use will be made of Internet and other resources for health 
technology assessment. Learn where to find the evidence you need, 
when you need it.

Based on the experience of some of the world's leading authorities in 
HTA, participants will learn how to:
- interpret and understand HTA information;
- plan and conduct HTA studies; and
- use the Internet as a research tool for HTA;

all without having to leave work or incur the travel and living ex-
penses normally associated with this type of professional develop-
ment.

Subjects covered include:

1. the language of technology assessment and health services re-
   search, from basic to advanced concepts, with definitions and ex-
   amples;

2. the stages in the technology life cycle, the moving target prob-
   lem, the technology assessment iterative loop;

3. practical issues of health service study rigour and validity: se-
   lection bias, randomization and other control methods, meta-
   analysis, ethical issues;

4. economic evaluation: assessing costs and effects, measuring qual-
   ity of life, discounting, sensitivity analysis, equity considera-
   tions;

5. sources of unbiased information, on the Internet and elsewhere,
   including Cochrane and other systematic reviews, and MEDLINE
   search methods;

6. the pitfalls of relying on vendor information; how to critique and
   supplement it; and

7. the use of health technology assessment to support evidence-based
   medicine and evidence-based health care system management.

Full information is available at: 
http://hta.uvic.ca

"Overview"             - overview of the site 
"Course Units"         - descriptions of each unit, plus full text
                         sample unit 
"Contact Information"  - how to request more information 
"How to Register"      - registration instructions

Regards,

Rebecca Warburton, Ph.D.
Health Economist 
HTA on the Net Instructor 
School of Health Information Science 
University of Victoria 
Tel: +1-250-721-8066
mailto:rnwarbur@uvic.ca


--
Send mail for the `AFRO-NETS' conference to `afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org'.
Mail administrative requests to `majordomo@usa.healthnet.org'.
For additional assistance, send mail to:  `owner-afro-nets@usa.healthnet.org'.