Newcomers session

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Newcomers session
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Why The Cochrane Collaboration?

• It is surely a great criticism of our profession
  that we have not organised a critical summary, by
  specialty or subspecialty, adapted periodically,
  of all relevant randomized controlled trials.
• Archie Cochrane, 1979

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Rationale

• The Cochrane Collaboration is an international
  organization that aims to help people make
  well-informed decisions about health care by
  preparing, maintaining, and promoting the
  accessibility of systematic reviews of the
  effects of healthcare interventions.
• ie synthesising healthcare evidence (since 1993)

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Logo

• Seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
• Comparing short, inexpensive course of a
  corticosteroid with a placebo.
• Each horizontal line represents the results of
  one trial (the shorter the line, the more certain
  the result)
• Diamond represents their combined results
• Vertical line indicates trials had similar
  effects
• Diamond to the left of the vertical line
  indicates treatment studied is beneficial.
• The first of these RCTs was reported in 1972.

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History
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The principles

• Collaboration
• Building on enthusiasm of individuals
• Avoiding duplication
• Minimizing bias
• Keeping up to date
• Ensuring relevance
• Ensuring access
• Continuous quality improvement
• Continuity
• Enabling wide participation

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Cochrane CollaborationStructure
Collaborative Review Groups
Centres
Steering Group
Methods Groups
Fields
The Consumer Network
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CRG structure
Editorial Office Co-ordinating Editor Review
Group Co-ordinator Trials Search Co-ordinator
Internal/External referees
Consumer referees
Editors
Review authors
Contact/feedback editors
Handsearchers
Statisticians
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Steps of a Cochrane Review
STEP 1 formulating the problem and register the
title with CRG STEP 2 write protocol, submit
for peer review and publish on Cochrane
Library STEP 3 locating and selecting
studies STEP 4 critical appraisal of studies for
risk of bias STEP 5 collecting data STEP
6 analysing and presenting results STEP
7 interpreting results STEP 8 improving and
updating reviews
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The Cochrane Library
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Reviews and protocols for reviews on The
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Issue
1/2005
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Consumers

• What the Consumer Network offers
• Links and coordinates consumer input in the work
  of The Cochrane Collaboration
• Empowers consumers by providing training,
  support, and multilevel communication.
• Supports and coordinates consumers working within
  The Collaboration, enabling effective, open
  communication,
• Empowers consumers involved within The Cochrane
  Collaboration to inform other consumers of the
  value of systematic reviews

http//www.cochrane.org/consumers
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Consumers

• What you can offer
• Identifying questions that are important to
  consumers.
• Commenting on Cochrane reviews
• Disseminating their results
• Raising awareness of the importance of systematic
  reviews.
• Handsearching healthcare journals.
• Contributing to writing lay summaries of
  systematic reviews.
• Translating materials
• Recruiting other consumers.
• Being a consumer editor
• Being an author or a review, as part of a team.
• Fundraising
• Being a consumer representatives on Cochrane
  advisory groups and the Cochrane Collaboration
  Steering Group.

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Cochrane Centres
Canadian
Nordic
German
UK
Italian
Dutch
Iberoamerican
US
Chinese
Brazilian
South African
Australasian
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Language

• English as a communicating tool
• Translation activities (systematic reviews,
  dissemination materials)
• Handsearching of non-English journals
• Spanish version of The Cochrane Library

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Web site
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E-mail lists
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Colloquium opportunities

• Meet the entities
• For authors of reviews
• For consumers
• For peer-reviewers