Bewertung präventiver Maßnahmen mit wissenschaftlichen Methode

Evaluation of Preventive Measures Using Scientific Methods The evaluation of preventive and health activities is due to ethical and financial aspects increasingly gaining importance. But how can this be assured on a scientifically high level? A tool that suits this purpose is Health Technology Assessment (HTA). Provided that the appropriate methodology is selected and scientific literature is evaluated, HTA can help to appraise the outcomes of preventive activities. The German Institute of Medical Documentation and Information publishes HTA reports on behalf of the Federal Health Ministry. These deal with topics related to prevention amongst others. Examples of the year 2009 are reports on the vaccination against human papilloma virus or on the nonmedicinal secondary prevention of coronary heart disease.