Visit two representatives of RedETSA member institutions of the Institute for Health Technology Assessment (IETS) in Bogotá, Colombia

IETS
The Instituto de Avaliação de Tecnologias em Saúde is the only institution in America, two Spanish-speaking countries, of mixed and private participation, whose mission is to promote the development of research in the validation of technologies in health and contribute to the development of better health practices. health.

REDETSA EXCHANGE
Between August 16, 17 and 18, 2016, a technical exchange of representatives of RedETSA member institutions was carried out. The visit takes place at the IETS headquarters, in Bogotá, Colombia. Five professionals from 8 countries in the region participated in the visit, which was divided into lectures and workshops in specific thematic sessions.
The professional exchange will help strengthen the network's capabilities, as well as allow the exchange of information and experiences that occur in the evaluation of technologies. Specifically, the objectives are to learn the IETS experience in the evaluation of health technologies, not the development of clinical practice directors, their role in decision-making, as well as carrying out other activities that allow the exchange of knowledge with other representatives of the institutions present.
The professionals who will participate in the meeting are listed in the table below:

COMMENTS
The participants will report very satisfied with the activity; affirming its success with benefits both for those involved and for the institutions in which its members, as evidenced by the following comments:
“The exchange […] provided a rich exchange of experiences between the participating countries, allowing the sharing of successful experiences and the difficulties faced in the process of validation of health technologies and the development of Clinical Practice Guidelines, promoting the strengthening of ties and strengthening work capacity in networks in the Americas.”
– Jorgeny Souza Emerick Ebeidalla
“[…]this technical exchange visit was very beneficial, where the entire IETS team was willing to share their vast knowledge and experience with us and provided us with very detailed and precise information about their work. Without a doubt, this type of activity represents a great contribution to progress, especially for emerging countries in the field of ETS such as Costa Rica.”
– Ana Eduviges Sancho
“Knowing about Colombia’s successful experience with Health Technology Assessments (HTA), Evidence-Based Medicine, and the development of Clinical Practice Guidelines has been of great importance to us as El Salvador, because we are in the process of consolidating the Health Reform and it is of great relevance to carry out technology assessments that allow us to respond to the demands of new technologies, through systematic and rapid searches of literature and scientific evidence, which allow us to reduce unjustified variability in clinical practice, as well as improve decision-making in Health, to reach a level where we can define needs with Evidence-Based Medicine.”
– Dr. Igor Castro Ramirios
“I found the professional exchange experience to be excellent. The IETS showed us how the Institute was formed and how, through its work, it has become a very relevant actor for both society and the Colombian health authorities. It was also very useful to learn about the difficulties they had when building their products and when carrying out their health technology assessment processes. In this way, it is possible to prevent or at least be prepared for when, in our countries, we think about generating something similar. In addition, the hosts were very welcoming and clarified all our doubts.”
– Victoria Hurtado
AGENDA