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1. Screening – HTA – Policymaking Kjølby M1, Løvschall C1, Jensen LG1, Væggemose U1, Bech M2, Ehlers L3 1 Department of HTA, Institute of Public Health, Aarhus University, Denmark 2 The Projectdepartment for The New University Hospital in Aarhus, Denmark 3 Health Economics and Management, Aalborg University, Denmark Objective: The objectives of this health technology assessment was to assess the evidence base for the effect of AAA population screening and to evaluate the consequences of implementing a screening programme for men aged 65-74 in Denmark, also including patient-related, organizational, economic and ethical consequences. Methods: The analysis of the evidence for the effect of AAA population scree- ning and of the patient-related aspects including an ethical analysis were based on a systematic review of published HTA reports, reviews and primary studies. The analysis of organizational and economic aspects was based partly on a literature survey and partly on collected data and register data. Consequences of population screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) – a health technology assessment Findings: AAA screening for men aged 65-74 reduces the mortality related to this pathology. The assessment also found that the introduction of AAA screening is not cost-efficient provided that a willing-ness to pay threshold of approx. £ 30,000 per QALY is adopted. Other aspects related to the patient, organization and ethics does not provide any clear indica-tion as to whether AAA screening should be recommended or not. Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a severe pathology with a prevalence of 4-8% in men over 65 years of age. AAA rarely gives rise to symptoms until its rupture, which shows very high mortality rates (70-95%). The evidence base for treatment is relatively clear. Its diagnosis is established by means of ultrasonography, which is of low cost, well accepted and has a high sensibility and specificity. Depending on the size of the aneurism elective repair is offered in order to avoid rupture. Aneurysm Conclusions: The assessment of the different aspects of implementing a screening programme compared to alternative strategies shows a complex of pros and cons towards implementation. The literature review shows that AAA screening of males aged 65-75 years can reduce AAA mortality, however screening does not seem to be cost-effective. • Recommendations: • Implementing screening programmes is of such importance and affects national health services in a way that it must allways be considered a national matter. • Screening programmes must allways assume a public health perspective in order to assess all relevant consequences of the programme. • Establishing a national organization on how to conduct decision making processes and evaluating existing programmes is recommended. www.mtv.rm.dk