Assessment – APPRAISAL – Decision: (Good) Practice examples and recommendations

Health Technology Assessment HTA has in many countries become an integral part of health policy decision-making. After the assessment (the synthesis of available research evidence) some countries undertake an appraisal of the evidence’s impact and applicability for a specific context. Appraisal committees, sometimes called policy committees, work where research and policy meet. Appraisal committees facilitate the life of decision makers in health policy by translating research results into political recommendations. This working paper presents 11 appraisal committees from 7 countries and condenses their experience into recommendations. An appraisal committee set up in line with these examples of good-practice may serve as an important building block for transparent and evidence-based decision making in health policy.