Comparative Analysis

An analysis comparing the structure and processes of the individual early awareness and alert systems was compiled in 1999 by the collaboration with the aim of describing the state of development in each country and identifying any common elements between systems. This analysis was conducted to both help those agencies with established systems and to provide guidance to agencies contemplating setting up new systems.

In November 2001 a questionnaire was sent to members to update and expand the comparative analysis. The results of the questionnaire were presented at the 18th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Technology Assessment in Health Care in Berlin in June 2002. In 2008/9 due the increase in membership numbers a revised questionnaire was sent to members in order to determine whether agencies differ in their approaches to early awareness and alert activities and compares the results with previous studies.

Member agencies were sent a questionnaire comprising questions on structure, aims and coverage, customers, partnerships and collaborations, methods, output, dissemination, related activities and future developments.

The results were presented in poster format at the 6th Annual HTAi meeting in Singapore, 21-24 June 2009 (see attached).