J. González de Dios. Prof. Manuel Sala, 6, 3.º A. 03003 Alicante.
Correo electrónico: javier.gonzalesdedios@gmail.com

Health technology assessment is a tool based on scientific evidence useful for making decisions (in clinical practice and, mainly, in heath policy) about the introduction of technological advances in healthcare systems.

We describe the characteristics of the eight health technology assessment agencies in Spain and the role of the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment as the main database for Health technology assessment.

Clinical practice guidelines are systematically developed statements to assist practitioners and patient decisions about appropriate health care and to select the most appropriate therapeutic and diagnostic options for specific clinical circums­tances.

We describe the characteristics of the most relevant guidelines resources (SIGN, NICE, GuiaSalud, etc.) and the main databases for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (National Guideline Clearinghouse, Guideline International Networf, GuiaSalud).

Systematic review is a step forward in the autor review. The Cochrane Collaborartion is the main database of systematic reviews. Its aim is to prepare, update and disseminate the accurate systematic reviews about the effects of health care interventions. The members of the Cochrane Collaboration are organised in groups, of which there are five different types: 53 Review Groups, 14 Cochrane Centres, 12 Files and Networks, and 16 Methods Groups. At this moment we can retrieve 5.222 systematic reviews and 2.259 protocols.

In this paper we talk about the searching in the original web (The Cochrane Library) and in the Spanish version of the web (Biblioteca Cochrane Plus). Knowing the Cochanre Collaboration from the inside out is the best way to know its strengths and weaknesses.

Clinical search engines in evidence based medicine allow to search simultaneously in the main evidence based sources (systematic reviews, practice guidelines, critically appraised topics and articles, agency reports, etc.). We analyze the characteristics and basic searching tools of two classic and kwon search engines (TRIP Database and SUMSearch) and a search engine recently launched of exclusively paediatric content (PediaClic).

Among the sources of bibliographic information with which pediatricians have found the digital and virtual libraries are less known than other resources such as scientific databases or journals but these resources provide valuable information on professional pediatrics. After establishing the difference in terminology between the two resources, we present a selection of four of them: Virtual Health Library of the Health Institute Carlos III de Madrid, the Virtual Library of the Pan American Health Organization dependent on this together with the World Health Organization, the Library of Virtual Pediatric Hospital and the Vanderbilt Pediatric Interactive Digital Library at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee. We describe the main features, aplications and interesting content that brings each of them.

C. Navarro-Molina. Unidad de Información e Investigación Social y Sanitaria. Universidad de Valencia. Palacio de Cerveró. Pl. Cisneros, 4. 46003 Valencia.
Correo electrónico: Carolina.Navarro@uv.es