18^th Annual Meeting of the International Society of Technology Assessment in Health Care
Berlin, June 9 - 12, 2002

The main focus of the conference lies with the challenge of collaboration and networking. HTA is still a relatively young but rapidly developing field of activity. The meeting program therefore emphasises a broad range of topics, ranging from methodological challenges to political issues. As more and more health care systems rely on HTA as one tool for managing innovations and increasing numbers of actors get involved in HTA as "doers", international networking and collaboration have become crucial components for HTA. In this respect, the meeting will place a particular emphasis on HTA in German speaking countries as well as in Central and Eastern European countries.

The local organisers, the Local Advisory Board and the International Scientific Program Committee are actively promoting discussion and communication on the latest development through an exciting and stimulating program. While HTA faces many challenges, it should be prepared to meet them through scientific rigour, communication with policy-makers, patients, providers, managers, industry and the scientific community, and by taking up responsibility in health care and in society as a whole.

Interested persons are therefore encouraged to submit abstracts on any aspect of Health Technology Assessment. We are especially inviting abstracts regarding the main topics of the meeting: 

• collaboration and networking in HTA;
• HTA in specialised fields: complementary and alternative medicine, dentistry, assessment of medical devices, biomedical engineering, clinical engineering;
• methodological challenges in HTA, e.g. standardisation of methods, rapid assessments.

The conference will be supplemented by a Satellite symposium: Clinical Practice Guidelines (Friday and Saturday, June 7 and 8, 2002) and Preconference workshops (Sunday, June 9).

Contact

ISTAHC 2002
Matthias Perleth MD MPH, Chair
Local Organising Committee
Federal Association of the Regional Health Insurance Funds
Rungestr. 3-6
10179 Berlin, Germany
Tel.: +49 (0) 30 / 2531 - 1554
e-mail: locCgf1∂istahc2002 de

Reinhard Busse MD MPH, Chair
International Scientific Program Committee
European Observatory on Health Care Systems
Sinesio Delgado 8
28029 Madrid, Spain
Tel.: +34 / 91 / 387 - 7753
e-mail: labQlb9∂istahc2002 de
Internet: http://www.istahc2002.de