Institutionalizing health technology assessment for priority setting and health policy in Latin America: from regional endeavors to national experiences.

In this paper, we provide a short summary of recent trends and key issues regarding the current status of health technology assessment (HTA) in Latin America. Initially, we describe worldwide and region-wide initiatives that foster the institutionalization of HTA for decision making and health policy in our region. Then, we describe some countries in the region that are worth mentioning for their application of HTA at a national level. The target audiences are those researchers and decision makers interested in following HTA in our region.