What Can You Expect?
CADTH will acknowledge your request within 24 hours. We may contact you for more details to ensure that we clearly understand your request, needs, or questions. Before starting a project, we will ask you about the research questions to be addressed, how the information will be used, and when the information is required so that you receive the best possible service to support your health care and policy decisions.
The length of time to deliver the service will depend on the nature of the product required to satisfy the request. The following table provides brief descriptions of the products CADTH most commonly produces in response to requests, as well as approximate completion times.
Product Type |
Description* |
Approximate turnaround time from point of topic refinement** |
|
Reference list |
List of the best available evidence with abstracts and links to full-text documents, if available. |
5-10 business days |
|
Summary of abstracts |
Summary based on the abstracts of the best available evidence. Includes the abstracts and links to full-text documents, if available. |
15 business days |
|
Summary with critical appraisal |
Written summary of the evidence from full text articles, with a critical appraisal and policy implications. |
30 business days |
|
Peer-reviewed summary with critical appraisal |
Summary of systematically selected evidence with a critical appraisal and policy implications. An external peer-review is conducted. |
Four months |
|
Systematic review and meta-analysis |
A systematic review of the evidence and a meta-analysis is performed, where appropriate. Authorship includes a content expert, and an external peer-review is conducted. |
4-5 months |
|
Rapid health technology assessment |
A systematic review of clinical studies and an economic component that includes a systematic review of economic studies, an economic evaluation or a budget impact analysis. It excludes a review of the health services impact. Authorship includes a content expert, and an external peer-review is conducted. |
5-6 months |
|
Environmental Scan |
Scan of innovative technologies or pan-Canadian access, reimbursement, or practice issues. |
5 to 40 business days |
|
Drug review and formulary recommendation |
Rigorous review of the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a drug, and a formulary listing recommendation for Canada’s publicly funded drug plans (excluding Quebec) through CADTH’s Common Drug Review process. Typically, submissions are received from drug manufacturers; however, the CDR-participating drug plans may also request a CDR review. |
5 to 6 months |
|
Health technology assessment |
Comprehensive, evidence-based analysis of a health technology or technologies to support and inform decisions about health policy, purchasing, service management, and clinical practice. May include a systematic review of clinical evidence, a systematic review of cost-effectiveness, and information on the broader impact on patient health and the health care system. |
Determined on a case-by-case basis |
|
Optimal use project |
Project designed to encourage the optimal use of a health technology or technologies by health care providers, policy-makers, and consumers. May include a systematic review of clinical evidence, a systematic review of cost-effectiveness, and development of recommendations, supporting documents, and tools. |
Determined on a case-by-case basis |
*These products may be tailored to meet the needs and timelines of the requestor and are subject to the quality and quantity of the published literature.
**The turnaround times are subject to the capacity and ongoing projects at CADTH. Timelines will be negotiated between a CADTH representative and the requestor at the time of topic refinement.