About Environmental Scanning

CADTH Environmental Scanning products alert decision-makers to new and emerging health technologies that are likely to have an impact on the delivery of health care in Canada. Our environmental scanning products also look at the health care environment, and how evidence is being used to inform practice and policy decisions, both inside and outside of Canada.

Through active, ongoing literature scanning, we identify health technologies in the early development and adoption stages, including those that may affect health care finances, facilities, operations, and patient care. In addition, environmental scanning involves establishing and maintaining networks with key health care stakeholders and scanning the environment to better understand how old technologies are being used.

CADTH environmental scanning products include:

• Environmental Scans – short reports on current or emerging issues in health care technology.
• Issues in Emerging Health Technologies – peer-reviewed, concise bulletins that are indexed in PubMed (MEDLINE).
• Health Technology Update – a newsletter covering new and emerging health care technologies that is generally published twice a year.