News

We performed a guideline synopsis to identify indications for the use of image-guided interventions and summarise the subsequent recommendations. We also considered potential organisational or social aspects.

Ten clinical guidelines fulfilled our eligibility criteria. Seven were related to epidural injections in four indications (axial discogenic pain, disc herniation, spinal stenosis, post-surgery syndrome) and five clinical guidelines on facet joint injections in one indication (axial facet joint pain). The majority are related to the lumbar spine. Only three guidelines on epidural injections and four on facet joint injections provided recommendations on imaging modalities.The synopsis of recommendation for epidural injections is inconsistent in two clinical indications, axial discogenic pain and spinal stenosis, with con-flicting recommendations across CGs. The same is true for facet joint injections, for both nerve block and intraarticular injections. The other two clinical indications for epidural injections, disc herniation and post-surgery syndrome, included both strong and weak recommendations for using epidural injections.

Community Nursing is a new model of care in Austria to strengthen the health of the elderly population. The literature review examines the cost-effectiveness of the concept and methods for presenting it. The results are inconclusive. The use of community nursing tends not to be cost-effective in the eleven identified studies, but methodological limitations may have biased the results. The studies are also older and largely not from Europe. Further research using more recent methodological findings from research on complex interventions and evaluation of public health interventions is needed.

Publication: HTA Project Report No. 153: https://eprints.aihta.at/1470/
Contact: Ingrid Zechmeister-Koss

Robotic-assisted surgery represents a technically advanced form of a minimally invasive procedure that claims to improve clinical outcomes as well as healthcare resource utilization. This report is an update of a systematic review from 2019, which examined the effectiveness and safety of robotic-assisted surgery in thoracic and visceral indications, compared to open surgery and conventional laparoscopy. In total, 14 indications were investigated, with no evidence identified for five indications. Due to the heterogeneous results and lack of evidence for some study endpoints, a general statement on the effectiveness and safety of robotic-assisted surgery is not possible.

Publication: HTA Project Report No. 108: https://eprints.aihta.at/1461
Contact : Nicole Grössmann-Waniek