LAUSR

Introduction The Spanish network of health technology assessment (HTA) agencies (REDETS) is a collaboration of eight agencies, units and services, commissioned by the national and regional governments. The network coordinates work within a common methodological and work framework, guided by the principles of mutual recognition and cooperation. In 2016, a common self-assessment quality tool was developed for the implementation of an overall Quality Management System. Currently we are working on the second step that deals with actions about management, joint activities as a network, and organizational aspects of the network. Methods A structured search strategy in the main electronic databases and a manual search in websites of networks national and international agencies were carried out in June 2017, in order to gather previous knowledge and developed standards. Through the information included in this review, and with the collaboration of all members, a group of standards for REDETS was developed. Finally, standards proposed were discussed in a face-to face meeting until an agreement was reached. Results A proposal of 31 standards was put forward taking all the collected information. The aim of each standard was defined, and its level of compliance was specified. Those standards were grouped under nine quality criteria structured in four dimensions: (i) Responsibility and Resources, (ii) Performance and Membership, (iii) Procedures, and (iv) Relations. Conclusions Based on the gathered information and the agreement of the all members, we developed a toolkit embracing a group of standards for the joint activities within the Spanish Network, network administration and management. It is a complementary instrument of the previous self-evaluating tool, following the establishment of an overall quality management system and under the philosophy of continuous improvement processes.