Health Technology Research in Brazil
Anais Online do "Health Technology Research in Brazil: Challenges for the New Decade"

Introduction: The incorporation of new technologies has generated great concern both for the exercise of the Law and for Health Care, since it can imply risks for the Health System and for its users. The judicialization of health - the phenomenon of lawsuits as a strategy for health care and / or intervention offers - has attracted increasing attention given its growing impact on health policies. In this scenario, the use of HTA can be identified as a potential mediator for interpreting the validity of demands, as well as identifying possible difficulties in implementing and / or disincorporating technologies that add little value to care. Considering the context, this study aims to make an experience report of the contribution of a Health Technology Assessment Center (HTAC) of a Brazilian teaching hospital in the face of demands for the judicialization of health. Material and Method: The present study adopted the simple descriptive methodology for presenting data from management productivity reports of the studied institution. In Brazil, the National Council of Justice (NCJ) created the Technical Support Centers of the Judiciary (TSCJ) linked to the courts, providing magistrates with opinions of the Technical Response type (within 72 hours), Technical Note (within 7 days ) and Technical-Scientific Opinion (term of 90 days) with the purpose of supporting the decision of lawsuits. In August 2018, the São Paulo State Court of Justice (SPCJ) entered into a partnership with Health Technology Assessment Centers (HTAC) from partner institutions to assist in technical-scientific analyzes, one of which is the HTAC from the Clinics Hospital of Botucatu Medical School. Results: HTAC established a flow of activities for external demands and in addition to the fixed members, it now has collaborating professionals (specialist) trained in the HTA area to prepare opinions according to the requested demands. Between 2018 and 2020, 99 technical response opinions were issued, with 2 opinions in 2018, 26 opinions in 2019 and 71 opinions in 2020. The main areas of demand were: Oncology, Neurology, Endocrinology, Dermatology, Pulmonology, Nephrology and others. Among the demands, 18 were related to requests for procedures and 79 for medications.Conclusion: It is concluded that the HTAC of teaching hospital can provide subsidies based on scientific evidence, contributing to the decision-making of lawsuits and constituting an alternative to the great judicialization of health.