ECRI Institute’s history spans more than 40 years of applied research in healthcare. From its research roots and early transition to an evaluator of medical technologies, ECRI Institute now plays a major role in technology planning, procurement and management, patient safety, quality and risk management, healthcare policy and research, and healthcare environmental management. Here are some of the milestones in our organization’s history.
IMIA Working Group "Technology Assessment and Quality Development in Health Informatics"
The aim of this Working Group is to develop comprehensive assessment of healthcare information technologies, to demonstrate the value of assessment methods of healthcare information technologies, and to promote international cooperation toward developing methodological topics. Both the IMIA and the EFMI Working Group closely collaborate.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
The technology assessment program at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) provides technology assessments of medical interventions for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). A special AHRQ Resource Center "AHRQ Health Information Technology" presents best practices transforming quality, safety and efficiency.
The International Society for Technology Assessment in Health care
ISTAHC - the International Society of Technology Assessment in Health Care - leads the world in partnering for research and education on the clinical, economic, and social implications of health technologies.
International Networks of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment
The aim of INAHTA is "to provide a forum for the identification and pursuit of interests common to health technology assessment agencies". Contains among others a HTA database and a checklist for HTA reports.
IFIP Working Group 8.2 on Information Systems and Organizations
The International Federation For Information Processing Working Group 8.2 was established by IFIP in 1977 as a working group concerned with "the interaction of information systems and the organisation". WG 8.2 conducts working conferences, publishes books through IFIP, and publishes a semi-annual newsletter (OASIS). In addition, the working group maintains a listserv, a website (this is it!) and holds business meetings.
EvalDB: Inventory of > 1.200 health IT evaluation studies
The database contains more than 1.200 abstracts of IT evaluation studies from 1982 until 2005. They are classified according e.g. to type of study, setting and evaluated IT system. A link to PubMed is provided. This database is offered for free by UMIT, the University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology, Hall in Tyrol, Austria.
Health IT Survey Compendium of AHRQ
Surveys are useful tools for collecting both quantitative and qualitative data when evaluating health information technology (health IT) projects. However, developing and validating surveys can be difficult, time-consuming, and costly. Individuals and organizations interested in evaluating health IT applications can benefit from using surveys that have been developed and validated by others. To that end, the National Resource Center has compiled a set of publicly available surveys to serve as a reference. To facilitate your search, the surveys have been categorized in four ways.
The Electronic Journal of Information Systems Evaluation
The Electronic Journal of Information Systems Evaluation is intended to provide critical perspectives on topics relevant to Information Systems Evaluation, with an emphasis on the organisational and management implications. Through its publication the journal aims to contribute to the development of theory and practice.
e-Journal of the Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems and The Improve-IT Institute. Edited by Dean Sittig.
Register of eHealth evaluation studies of the Journal of Medical Internet Research
Beginning in July 2005, several major medical journals, including the Journal of Medical Internet Research, will only consider trials for publication that have been registered in a trial registry before they started. This is to reduce publication bias and to prevent selective reporting of positive outcomes. As existing clinical trial registers seem to be unsuitable or suboptimal for eHealth studies, a free International eHealth Study Registry (IESR) has been set up, allowing registration of trials (including non-randomized studies) in the field of health informatics and assigning an International eHealth Study Number (IESN).
E-Health Record Evaluation - a literature survey and an evaluation framework
M-lit: A database on mobile business literature
Human-Computer Interaction Bibliography
A practical guide to evaluation methods for lecturers, including e.g. information on questionnaire design and other methods and some information on "How To".
VATAM-Website (Validation of Health Telematics Application)
This website offers guidelines for validation, on-line access to VATAM publications, terminology on evaluation, and a list of evaluation tools and methods.
Cochrane: Index of Abstracts of Cochrane Reviews
The Cochrane Library offers high quality evidence to inform people providing and receiving care, and those responsible for research, teaching, funding and administration at all levels. It is the best single source of reliable evidence about the effects of health care. The Abstracts of Cochrane Reviews are available without charge.
Survey Instruments in Information Systems
The goal of this site is to provide researchers with actual survey instruments used in information systems research - either in full text or via links to the appropriate citations.
Evaluation of Clinical Information Systems
Links to numerous articles discussing evaluation, including general articles for health managers, technical articles for methodologists, material explaining why evaluation is necessary, and a number of case studies.
PROBE Evaluation Practice Guidelines
PROBE describes some valuable lessons and guidance about good practice in evaluation. It was published in 1996 by the NHS Executive and is primarily aimed at the evaluation of Hospital Information Support Systems (HISS).
The Cochrane Reviewers' Handbook Glossary
A glossary of terms on quantiative evaluation studies and reviews.
User-friendly Handbook for Mixed Method Evaluation
Thios handbook was initiated because of the recognition that by focusing primarily on quantitative techniques, evaluators may miss important parts of a story. Experienced evaluators have found that most often the best results are achieved through the use of mixed method evaluations, which combine quantitative and qualitative techniques. This handbook was therefore initiated to provide more information on qualitative techniques, and to discuss how they can be combined effectively with quantitative measures.
Collaborartive, Participatory, and Empowerment Evaluation
Empowerment evaluation is the use of evaluation concepts, techniques, and findings to foster improvement and self-determination. It employs both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. Although it can be applied to individuals, organizations, communities, and societies or cultures, the focus is usually on programs.
Comprehensive list of website on usability engineering, provided by Marie-Catherine Beuscart-Zephir.
NHS Performance Ratings and Indicators
Performance Ratings and Indicators for Hospitals within the NHS.
Assessing Hospitals Performance
Access to survival, complication and recovery ratings, ratings on 28 medical conditions, and information on hospital accreditation.
Virtual Methods Seminar on Questionnaires
This website provides didactical information on how to create and validate questionnaires, together with a tool for checking their reliability.
Health Technology Assessment at DIMDI
Definition, methods and publications of HTA in Germany.
Study on the Economic Impact of ICT in Health Care. Database with more than 100 examples of good practice in eHealth.