[Barriers for introducing a health technology assessment organization to inform health care decision-making in the Spanish National Health System].

Background: To identify difficulties, obstacles and limitations to establish an organizational structure devoted to the evaluation of healthcare technologies for incorporation, maintenance or removal from the services portfolio of the Spanish National Health System (sNHS).

Methods: Panel of 14 experts, structured according to processes adapted from brainstorming, nominal group, and Rand consensus method techniques.

Results: The panel proposed 77 items as potential obstacles to the establishment of an official and independent "agency" able to inform on sNHS healthcare benefits funding or selective disinvestment.

[Identification and prioritization of interventions to improve efficiency in the National Health System].

Objectives: To identify a significant number of interventions to improve efficiency and reduce waste in the Spanish National Health System (NHS), to prioritize these interventions according to their impact, and to assess the measures recently adopted by the Spanish government.

Material And Methods: A meeting was held with 13 healthcare experts, structured according to a mixed method adapted from brainstorming, nominal group and Rand consensus methods.

Results: The panel proposed 101 possible actions to improve the efficiency of the Spanish NHS.

[Organization, functioning and expectations of organizations representing patients. Survey of key informants].

Objectives: To explore patient organizations and their scope in terms of patient and user participation in decisions affecting their health.

Methods: Semi-structured questionnaire survey of key informants from 21 patient organizations.

Results: Most of the patient organizations were regional or national private organizations.