AUTHOR=Ali M Sanni , Ichihara Maria Yury , Lopes Luciane Cruz , Barbosa George C.G. , Pita Robespierre , Carreiro Roberto Perez , dos Santos Djanilson Barbosa , Ramos Dandara , Bispo Nivea , Raynal Fabiana , Canuto Vania , de Araujo Almeida Bethania , Fiaccone Rosemeire L. , Barreto Marcos E. , Smeeth Liam , Barreto Mauricio L. TITLE=Administrative Data Linkage in Brazil: Potentials for Health Technology Assessment JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology VOLUME=10 YEAR=2019 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2019.00984 DOI=10.3389/fphar.2019.00984 ISSN=1663-9812 ABSTRACT=

Health technology assessment (HTA) is the systematic evaluation of the properties and impacts of health technologies and interventions. In this article, we presented a discussion of HTA and its evolution in Brazil, as well as a description of secondary data sources available in Brazil with potential applications to generate evidence for HTA and policy decisions. Furthermore, we highlighted record linkage, ongoing record linkage initiatives in Brazil, and the main linkage tools developed and/or used in Brazilian data. Finally, we discussed the challenges and opportunities of using secondary data for research in the Brazilian context. In conclusion, we emphasized the availability of high quality data and an open, modern attitude toward the use of data for research and policy. This is supported by a rigorous but enabling legal framework that will allow the conduct of large-scale observational studies to evaluate clinical, economical, and social impacts of health technologies and social policies.