title: Spanish recommendations on economic evaluation of health technologies.
abstract: The economic evaluation of health technologies has become a major tool in health policy in Europe for prioritizing the allocation of health resources and the approval of new technologies. The objective of this proposal was to develop guidelines for the economic evaluation of health technologies in Spain. A group of researchers specialized in economic evaluation of health technologies developed the document reported here, following the initiative of other countries in this framework, to provide recommendations for the standardization of methodology applicable to economic evaluation of health technologies in Spain. Recommendations appear under 17 headings or sections. In each case, the recommended requirements to be satisfied by economic evaluation of health technologies are provided. Each recommendation is followed by a commentary providing justification and compares and contrasts the proposals with other available alternatives. The economic evaluation of health technologies should have a role in assessing health technologies, providing useful information for decision making regarding their adoption, and they should be transparent and based on scientific evidence.
authors.affiliation: Evaluation and Planning Unit, Canary Islands Health Services, CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Spain, C/Pérez de Rozas 5, 4th Floor, 38004 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain. jlopbas@gobiernodecanarias.org
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: López-Bastida
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oliva
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Antoñanzas
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: García-Altés
authors.forename: Ramón
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gisbert
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mar
authors.forename: Jaume
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Puig-Junoy
mesh_terms: D020811:Biomedical Technology / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003657:Decision Making; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D017048:Health Care Costs; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D018803:Models, Economic; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D040841:Resource Allocation / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013030:Spain; D013997:Time Factors