IDENTIFIATION OF TECHNOLOGIES

CONCLUSIONS

• Detection of potentially obsolete health technologies is a complex procedure which should be ongoing and conducted in a programmed, systematic manner.
• There are a number of different sources for the detection of obsolete health technologies, each with its respective advantages and disadvantages. Perhaps the most efficient are the use of detection networks made up of specialists; examination of requests for incorporation of new procedures in clinical practice; and examination of high-quality systematic reviews. The least advisable data source is a direct search of general Medline-type databases.
• Once detected, a technology that appears to be obsolete must be confirmed as potentially obsolete before proceeding to conduct a systematic review which would enable it to be definitively classified (or not) as an obsolete health technology.