Health Technology Assessment: databases and research registers
1. Health technology assessment databases
2. Project/research registers: gateways
3. Project/research registers: international, national, regional
4. Project/research registers: subject specific
5. Project/research registers: company specific
6. Other routes into trials
Last updated April 2008
1. Health technology assessment databases
Health Technology Assessment (HTA) database produced by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination in collaboration with the secretariat of International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA). The database contains records of ongoing projects being conducted by members of INAHTA as well as publications reporting completed technology assessments carried out by INAHTA members and other health technology assessment organisations.
International Health Technology Assessment database (IHTA) available via ECRI's Health Technology Assessment Information Service (HTAIS). IHTA gives HTAIS members access to the latest information on health care technology assessment research, with information on law, costs, cost effectiveness and risk management.
The Cochrane Library contains the full text of Cochrane reviews and protocols, a database of randomised controlled trials and a number of other databases including CRD's DARE, NHS EED and HTA databases.
2. Project/research registers: gateways
Current Controlled Trials contains the metaRegister of Controlled Trials (mRCT), which is a 'register of registers' of ongoing controlled trials. It searches the indexes to a number of trials registers including the UK Clinical Trials Gateway, the Medical Research Council (UK), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and many more.
ClinicalTrials.gov contains records of over 50,000 trials sponsored mainly by the US National Institutes for Health. It also includes trials funded by other federal agencies, the pharmaceutical industry and nonprofit organisations. It is mainly aimed at the public, but contains lots of descriptive information and links to other pages.
International Clinical Trials Registry Platform Search Portal provides access to a central database containing the trial registration data sets provided by nine different registries from around the world. In addition to providing links to the full original records, the search portal groups together multiple records about the same trial.
3. Project/research registers: international, national, regional
Community Research and Development Information Service (CORDIS) contains information on individual research projects carried out under European Union R&D programmes. A search engine is available to search its projects database
Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) is one of the databases on the Cochrane Library, contains approximately 500,000 randomised controlled trials (Issue 2008/1), collected from MEDLINE, EMBASE and extensive handsearching of journals and conference proceedings.
CenterWatch is a clinical trials listing service. Includes details of government-funded and industry-sponsored clinical trials that are actively recruiting patients both in the US and internationally.
RCTs on BioMED Central gives free access to peer-reviewed biomedical research including trial protocols, study results, systematic reviews and methodological debate articles.
4. Project/research registers: subject specific
Cancer.gov - Clinical Trials produced by the US National Cancer Institute. It contains information on cancer research studies, including a searchable database of current cancer trials.
HSRProj database searchable along with other databases on the National Library of Medicine (NLM) gateway, contains detailed descriptions of health services research projects in progress from the leading funders among US federal agencies and private foundations.
5. Project research registers: company specific
GlaxoSmithKline Clinical Trial Register contains scientific summaries of GSK-sponsored clinical trials.
6. Other routes into trials
Databases and reports of conference proceedings can be a valuable source of information about both ongoing and completed trials which are unpublished elsewhere. Resources include:
- Conference Papers Index available at a charge from the online host STN.
- ISI Proceedings - Science & Technology edition currently available via the ISI Web of Knowledge host.
- NLM Gateway contains some meeting abstracts.
- Biomed Central has abstracts or proceedings of meetings published in BMC journals, along with meetings published by its meeting abstracts service.
- Links to conference web sites can be made via Medicalconferences.com.
COS Expertise on the Community of Science (COS) website, is a knowledge management service containing the profiles of researchers, scientists and scholars worldwide. Profiles include information on current research activities and expertise. Registration is required.
The information provided is based on a paper given by Julie Glanville, former CRD Information Service Manager, at the ISTAHC Conference in June 2000.
