The purpose of this report is to update an earlier HTA report published in 2003. This report examines the newly published clinical research evidence on the safety and efficacy/effectiveness of islet transplantation in type 1 diabetic patients who have severe hypoglycemia episodes or hyperglycemia unawareness but are without kidney failure. The main clinical efficacy/effectiveness…
The role of rapid fetal fibronectin assay in the management of spontaneous preterm labour The objective of this report is to evaluate the added value of using fetal fibronectin (Rapid fFN for the TLi™ System, referred to here as the rapid fFN assay) to diagnose spontaneous preterm labour (PTL) in symptomatic women, which is the only fFN detection modality currently available…
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) HTA Report #17. The present report has been prepared as a follow up to the previous assessment because of continued interest in the technology by the health ministry and others. It considers studies that have been reported in the literature since completion of the earlier assessment (1997-1999) and focuses on the efficacy…
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) HTA Report #20. This report presents data from the telepsychiatry program subsequent to the pilot project. The assessment of telepsychiatry beyond the pilot project stage had two primary focuses: a) to develop and document information collection systems initiated during the pilot project evaluation, and b) to assess the operation…
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) HTA Report #19. A request for information about the use of low level laser therapy (LLLT) to assist wound healing was received from the Capital Health Authority (CHA). This technology has been increasingly used within the Edmonton area, with somewhat different approaches being taken by individual operators. The concern was…
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) HTA Report #16. This report has been prepared in view of the continuing interest in positron emission tomography and other functional diagnostic imaging (FDI) methods within the Alberta health care system. It also continues the work at the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research in developing approaches to assessment…
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) HTA Report #16. This is the second volume of an assessment of functional diagnostic imaging methods in imaging of the myocardium. Volume 1 included an overview of the assessment findings and provided comments on the place of the FDI techniques in this application. In this volume, further details are given of the assessment…
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) HTA Report #15. The present health technology assessment report has been prepared following a request by Alberta Health and Wellness for additional information on the use of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in the treatment of acoustic neuroma, one of the applications considered in an earlier publication on SRS. Two main issues…
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) HTA Report #14. This report has been prepared because of the interest by the Consumers' Association of Canada and the Health Ministry in the increasing use of newer types of intraocular lenses (IOLs) and in their comparative advantage. The focus of the report is on the safety, efficacy and effectiveness of the three types…