Health Technology Assessment Information Service (HTAIS)
Technology Assessment and Healthcare Research forms a large part of ECRI Institute's work. Helping to support this work is one of the largest private Medical Libraries in the world which maintains over 1,500 medical periodicals. The library collection includes over 11,000 books, 17,000 health-related technical reports, thousands of codes and standards, 200 audio-visuals, 2,000 serials, and over 100 CD-ROM resources. The collection is international in scope and has been designated as the WHO Archives on Healthcare Technology.
In addition the full HTAIS offers individual Hotline Topic requests allowing clients to submit their own health technology questions (drugs, devices, procedures) to the ECRI Institue research team. Hotline search reports contain an ECRI Institue overview of the technology together with a bibliographic list of research papers from around the world based on the topic requested. Existing Hotlines can be accessed by everyone using the service.
In 1987 the World Health Organisation (WHO) granted ECRI Institute the status of Collaborating Centre for Technology Assessment in recognition of its contribution and capabilities.
Emerging Technology Services (ETS) for 'Horizon Scanning'
ECRI Institute has developed a new Health Technology Assessment on-line service for researchers interested in 'Horizon Scanning' and looking at future trends in medical technology. The services comprises three main components.
1. Health Technology Forecast - ECRI Institute's opinions of the direction medical technologies are going and their impact on the health system.
2. Technology Assessment Research Guide for Emerging Technologies (TARGET) - A repository for all the new and emerging technologies and who is driving them
3. Health Technology Trends - A monthly newsletter and briefing document covering topical trends in healthcare.
The data gives ECRI Institute's perspective about the future of new and emerging technologies together with the effect they will have on the health system from many different viewpoints.
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