Introduction: Older adults are susceptible to malnutrition and vitamin deficiency. Objective: To determine the association between the low level of vitamin B12 and cognitive deterioration in older adults from the Naval Medical Center, located in Lima-Peru, in the period 2010-2015. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out, based on a secondary analysis of the Texas-Cemena UTMB 2010-2015 database of the Center for Research on Aging (CIEN) of the University of San Martín de Porres. To quantify the cognitive impairment variable, the MiniMental Test was used. To analyze the association, the Chi-square test and Poisson regression were performed. Results: 57.6% of the patients were male and the mean age was 78 ± 8.4. 41.2% presented cognitive deterioration and 9.5% of the patients presented vitamin B12 deficiency. The factors independently associated with cognitive ...

A health technology (drug, vaccine, medical device, procedure) is submitted to a systematic evaluation procedure, called Health Technology Assessment (HTA). The HTA process involves analyzing the properties, benefits, risks and costs of a technology applied to health care, and issuing evidence-based information, linking research and its findings with decision-making in the field of health. Based on the recommendations obtained as a result of the HTA, decision-makers in the health sector choose to admit or reject the incorporation of new health technologies. In Peru, as in the rest of the world, the health technology assessment process has been implemented for approximately ten years, and there are institutions with experience in preparing reports with the results of the HTA. This article provides a general overview of HTA in the world, with special emphasis on their evolution and develop...