Publications

Osteba berriak Newsletter

A periodic publication that compiles the main updates on the work carried out by Osteba in the field of Health Technology Assessment and Health Services Research. It provides access to up-to-date and relevant information, increasing the visibility of its activities, projects, and research outputs.

Since 2014, Osteba Berriak has been published exclusively in electronic format, enabling greater accessibility and more efficient dissemination of its content.
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Assessment Reports

Technical documents designed to provide comprehensive, rigorous, and structured information on specific topics related to Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and health service organization.

Their development follows a systematic process that includes the review and critical synthesis of scientific evidence, as well as the formulation of conclusions and recommendations. The reports assess the efficacy, effectiveness, efficiency, and safety of health technologies, along with their organizational, social, ethical, and legal implications.

They address the health planning and management needs of the Basque Country, as well as those of the National Health System, with the aim of supporting decision-making based on the best available evidence. They are a key tool for improving the quality, sustainability, and equity of the healthcare system through the transparent and informed use of scientific evidence.

Review Reports

Responses to urgent information needs through the rapid, structured synthesis of available scientific evidence on a specific topic within Health Technology Assessment (HTA) and health service organization.

They typically address requests for partial information on aspects that may form part of a full assessment, providing a preliminary or complementary perspective to more comprehensive HTA reports.

In this sense, Rapid Review Reports are a key support tool for healthcare management, enabling timely access to high-quality synthesized evidence within short timeframes.

New and Emerging Health Tecnologies (NEHT) briefs

NEHT brief

A concise document providing the essential minimum information on a New and Emerging Health Technology (NEHT), structured into the following sections: brief description of the technology, target population, type of technology and use, added value compared with current standard practice, setting and level of application, available clinical evidence, burden of disease, expected changes in clinical practice and service organization, ethical and legal implications, economic impact, and expected rate of diffusion.

The purpose of these briefs is to support the prioritization of NEHTs requiring more in-depth assessment.

NEHT assessment briefs

Standardized documents that analyse the most relevant aspects of a prioritized NEHT. They provide the available information on a health technology at an early stage of development that is expected to have an impact on quality of life and on the healthcare system.

Clinical practice guidelines

A set of recommendations systematically developed designed to help healthcare professionals and patients make decisions about the most appropriate health care, as well as the choice of the most appropriate diagnostic, therapeutic, or care options to deal with a health problem or a specific clinical condition.

Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) are developed through a rigorous review of the available scientific evidence, combined with an assessment of benefits, risks, and, where appropriate, considerations of applicability within the healthcare context.

Other Evidence-Based Products (EBPs) are documents derived from scientific evidence which, without constituting a full Clinical Practice Guideline in the strict sense, complement their use and facilitate decision-making in healthcare. Their purpose is to address specific information needs or decision-support requirements by providing evidence syntheses, focused analyses, or methodological tools that may be useful at different levels of care or management.

Information note: more than 5 years after the publication of a CPG, its recommendations should be considered with caution, as its validity and updating may not be evaluated.

Otros productos basados en la evidencia (OPBE)

Conjunto de herramientas desarrolladas a partir de la mejor evidencia científica disponible para apoyar la toma de decisiones en el ámbito sanitario. Estos productos complementan a las GPC y facilitan la implementación de sus recomendaciones en la práctica asistencial. Entre los principales OPBE se incluyen los protocolos clínicos, las vías clínicas, los algoritmos de decisión, los procesos asistenciales integrados, los documentos de consenso y otras herramientas de apoyo a la práctica clínica.

Articles/Others

Osteba, in collaboration with other agencies and societies, is involved in research projects at the regional, national, European and international levels. As a result, we obtain updated information on issues relevant to other health care systems and potentially for ours. It also allows us to advance in working methods, learning activities and exchanging knowledge with other groups of similar advocacy.

On the other hand, we participate in scientific forums, presenting different aspects of the methodology of the evaluation, and communicating the results of our projects.

In this regard, we collaborate in the publication of book chapters and articles in scientific journals.

Last modified date: 07/28/2026