ESMI - About us
Evidence Synthesis & Modelling for Health Improvement (ESMI) is a vibrant and multidisciplinary research group which specialises in the synthesis of research evidence for informing health policy and practice. We have been conducting systematic reviews and model-based economic analyses of health technologies and complex health programmes since 2001 (up to 2014, as the Peninsula Technology Assessment Group, PenTAG). Our work spans both ongoing contracts to support national policy-making agencies, NIHR-funded evidence syntheses, and internationally recognised methodological research relevant to evidence synthesis and improving the influence of research on policy-making.
We have a number of major work streams, which fund most of our 35+ research staff:
- PenTAG Health technology assessment (both for NICE, and the NIHR HTA programme)
- Diagnostics and test accuracy research
- Public health and service organisation evidence reviews
- PenCHORD - health operations research and service delivery focused modelling
- PenARC Evidence Synthesis Team
- Information Science Research
- Exeter HSDR Evidence Synthesis Centre
- Exeter PRP Evidence Review Facility
- Isca Evidence
- BEETLE
Our methodological research includes
- Applying and evaluating new methods of evidence synthesis
- Developing and evaluating methods for elicitation of expert opinion in HTA
- Assessing the use and validation of surrogate outcomes in HTA
- Advancing methods for cost-effectiveness analysis
- Evaluating novel search strategies and alternative bibliographic resources