​It is with pleasure that we invite our global community of staff, members and supporters to join us for a virtual meeting on Monday 22 March 2021. Register for this event

This is a free online event open to everyone in Cochrane that will give our members the opportunity to hear updates and about key organizational priorities for 2021 and beyond.

 The session will be presented live twice 09:00-11:00 (check in your local time) and 17:00-19:00 GMT (check your local time) via Cochrane’s virtual events online platform, Hopin. Short presentations from Cochrane’s leadership will be pre-recorded and made available via email and our Community website during the week commencing 15th March. Alongside the pre-recorded material, you will be given the opportunity to submit any questions that you have in advance so that they can be addressed on the day.

A virtual meeting of the Governing Board and Senior Management Team. We look forward to meeting with you March 22!

The two-hour format will include a live question and answer session with the majority of time dedicated to smaller, interactive groups allowing our Cochrane colleagues and friends to connect and reunite, and share their work and experiences from the last 12 months. There will be no formal live presentations. 

Free registration is now open via Hopin – register today! Please note that you will need to sign up to Hopin before you can register for the event. In the meantime, should you have any questions, please contact support@cochrane.org

This special event will not replace Cochrane’s virtual Governance meetings; we now plan to hold these online on Monday 17th - Wednesday 19th May 2021, inclusive.

We know that COVID-19 continues to have a significant impact on all of us in 2021 with so many disruptions to our home and work lives. We hope you, your families and colleagues are well and safe and we look forward to seeing many of you again, albeit virtually, on March 22. 

With our best wishes, 

Catherine Marshall and Tracey Howe
Co-chairs of the Governing Board                   

Mark Wilson
Chief Executive Officer                          

Karla Soares-Weiser
Editor-in-Chief

During the past 12 months chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have been touted as cures for COVID-19 and introduced into Covid-19 treatment protocols. This has led to increases in demand, leaving some rheumatoid arthritis and lupus patients deprived of effective treatments.

A newly published Cochrane Library Editorial explores the story of the assessment of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine efficacy and the lessons learnt. 

This Editorial publishes alongside the recently published review published in the Cochrane Library  that concludes that hydroxychloroquine  has no clinical benefit in treating COVID-19 in hospitalised patients.

View larger sized visual abstract

• Read the Editorial
• Read the Cochrane Review 'Chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine for prevention and treatment of COVID‐19'
• Read the Cochrane Clinical Answer 'For adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), what are the benefits and harms of hydroxychloroquine?'
• Learn more about the visual abstracts created by Emory med students
• Read all the Cochrane resources and news on COVID-19
• Find out more about Cochrane COVID Reviews

The annual 'Best of the Cochrane Library' Special Collection showcases Cochrane content published in various formats.

What were the most accessed Cochrane Reviews of 2020? The most accessed Cochrane Editorials or Podcasts?  Find out in a Special Collection, now available on the Cochrane Library website.

• Read 'Best of the Cochrane Library: 2020 in review'

Evidence published in the Cochrane Library today will reassure people who want to stop smoking that quitting for at least 6 weeks may improve their mental wellbeing, by reducing anxiety, depression, and stress. People’s social relationships are unlikely to suffer if they stop smoking. 

Smoking is the world's leading cause of preventable illness and death. One in every two people who smoke will die of a smoking-related disease unless they quit. Some people believe that smoking helps reduce stress and other mental health symptoms, and that quitting smoking might make their mental health problems worse. People who smoke may also worry that stopping smoking will have a negative impact on their social lives and friendships.

The review found that people who stopped smoking for at least 6 weeks experienced less depression, anxiety, and stress than people who continued to smoke. People who quit also experienced more positive feelings and better psychological wellbeing.  Giving up smoking did not have an impact on the quality of people’s social relationships and it is possible that stopping smoking may be associated with a small improvement in social wellbeing.

The review summarises evidence from 102 observational studies involving over 169,500 people. The review authors combined the results from 63 of these studies that measured changes in mental health symptoms in people who stopped smoking with changes occurring in people who continued to smoke. They also combined results from 10 studies that measured how many people developed a mental health disorder during the study. The studies involved a wide range of people, including people with mental health conditions and people with long-term physical illnesses. The length of time the studies followed people varied, with the shortest being 6 weeks, but some studies followed people for up to 6 years. The certainty of the evidence ranged from very low to moderate.

The lead author of this Cochrane Review, Dr Gemma Taylor from the Addiction & Mental Health Group at the University of Bath, said, “We found stopping smoking was associated with small to moderate improvements in mood. The benefits of smoking cessation on mood seem to be similar in a range of people, and most crucially, there is no reason to fear that people with mental health conditions will experience a worsening of their health if they stop smoking. Our confidence in the precise size of the benefit is limited due to the way the studies were designed and future studies that can overcome those challenges will greatly strengthen the evidence about the impacts of smoking cessation on mental health.”

Dr Gemma Taylor continued, “Many people who smoke are concerned that quitting could disrupt their social networks, and lead to feelings of loneliness. People can be reassured that stopping smoking does not seem to have a negative impact on social quality of life. People may also be concerned that quitting is stressful. The evidence shows that stress is reduced in people who stop smoking and that there are likely longer-term benefits for peoples’ mental health.”

A team of researchers from the Universities of Bath, Birmingham, Oxford, and New York University  worked together to produce this review.

• Read the full review on the Cochrane Library
• Visit the Cochrane Tobacco Addition Group website

Specifications: Full Time fixed term contract
Salary: up to £35,000
Location: London with flexibility to work from home up to 3 days a week
Application Closing Date: 15 March 2021

We are looking for a self-motivated and highly organised individual who is able to work effectively and collaboratively with a diverse range of contacts across the world.  This role is an exciting opportunity to use your experience as a legal administrator to make a difference in the field of health care research.  

The successful candidate will support the Senior Contracts Specialist in delivering an effective contracts management service to the Central Executive Team, by:

• Managing and maintaining a contracts database
• Proof-reading final drafts of agreements
• Executing contracts
• Populating templates
• Drafting (with support).
• Legal research.

The successful candidate will have:

Essential

• Degree in law or significant experience in contracts management
• Previous experience of providing administrative support to a solicitor/contracts team
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience of, or an interest in, learning about contracts drafting and negotiation in the research/healthcare sector
• Experience of skim-reading contracts/reports
• Previous demonstrable experience of database management
• Ability to work methodically and accurately
• Ability to work independently and use initiative/self-starter
• A pro-active approach to problem-solving
• Awareness of handling confidential and sensitive information
• Intermediate level IT skills, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Be confident in assimilating new computer programmes and systems.
• Strong organization and prioritization skills - a flexible approach with the ability to respond quickly to issues as they arise
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to maintain a diplomatic, measured approach at all times.

Cochrane is a global, independent network of health practitioners, researchers, patient advocates and others, responding to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by synthesizing research findings to produce the best available evidence on what can work, what might harm and where more research is needed. Our work is recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

How to apply
For further information on the role and how to apply, please click here.  The deadline to receive your application is by 15 March 2021.  The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements, using specific examples. Note that we will assess applications as they are received, and therefore may fill the post before the deadline.

• Deadline for applications: 15 March 2021 (12 midnight GMT)
• Interviews to be held on: w/c 22 March 2021 (TBC)

Cochrane is made up of 11,000 members and over 67,000 supporters come from more than 130 countries, worldwide. Our volunteers and contributors are researchers, health professionals, patients, carers, people passionate about improving health outcomes for everyone, everywhere.

Getting involved in Cochrane’s work means becoming part of a global community. The Cochrane International Mobility programme connects successful applicants with a placement in a host Cochrane Group, learning more about the production, use, and knowledge translation of Cochrane reviews. The prgramme offers opportunities for learning and training not only for participants but also for host staff.

In this series, we profile those that have participated in the Cochrane International Mobility Program and learn more about their experiences.

Name: Carolina Severiche Mena
Location: USA/Colombia
Cochrane International Mobility location: Cochrane Croatia

How did you first learn about Cochrane?
I have been a Cochrane member since 2019. I became interested in Cochrane because I was impressed by its commitment to making high-quality medical information accessible to people worldwide. That motivated me to volunteer my time and support its mission.

What was your experience with Cochrane International Mobility?
Participating in CIM has been very rewarding. It has helped me develop professional skills and increase my knowledge of research methodologies. I also had the opportunity to complete Cochrane Interactive Training. All these tasks have been carried out remotely, given COVID-19.

What are you doing now in relation to your Cochrane International Mobility experience?
Currently, I am preparing my first systemic review about peripheral artery disease and patient-centered outcomes. In the future, I plan to continue collaborating with Cochrane on cardiovascular disease and patient-centered care initiatives. Meanwhile, I am attending online webinars hosted by Cochrane to refine my technical knowledge.

Do you have any words of advice to anyone conserving a Cochrane International Mobility experience?
I highly recommend this experience to medical professionals or students who want to increase their research methodology skills and systematic review knowledge.

Supported by Cochrane Ear ,Nose and Throat a new Cochrane Library Special Collection curates the latest Cochrane evidence on non-surgical treatments for chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM). 

CSOM is estimated to have a global incidence of 31 million episodes per year, disproportionately affecting people at socio-economic disadvantage. Many people who are affected by CSOM do not have good access to modern primary healthcare, let alone specialised ear, nose and throat care. Given this evidence need, Cochrane ENT have prioritized the production of systematic reviews on non-surgical treatments for CSOM. This up-to-date evidence is in this Cochrane Library Special Collection.

• View the Special Collection on 'Chronic suppurative otitis media: effectiveness of non-surgical treatments' 
• Visit the Cochrane ENT website

In this short interview, Prof. John GF Cleland, senior author of this recently published Cochrane review, tells us about what this review found regarding the type of heart and blood vessel problems that complicate COVID-19 infections.

Tell us about this review.

This review first  focuses on cardiovascular problems pre-existing the development of COVID, usually in cases that were severe enough to require hospitalization. We know that older people are more likely to have cardiovascular disease and to be admitted with severe COVID. We are only looking at associations. It is unclear whether cardiovascular disease or age was the key driving factor, because the two problems are so interconnected. It is possible that after adjusting for age, cardiovascular problems are similarly common in people with and without COVID.

The review then goes on to assess the risk of cardiovascular complications, highlighting which are the most common (unexpectedly, this was atrial fibrillation). The review does not investigate which treatments might effectively reduce the risk of cardiovascular complications.

What bought brought you to this topic?

The Cochrane Team put out a request to the British Heart Foundation Clinical Research Collaboration for help with reviewing the risk factors associated with developing or being hospitalized with COVID, and the consequences of hospitalization. We answered that call. We knew that many people infected by COVID-19 have few or no symptoms. However, COVID-19 can make the blood ‘sticky’, clogging up both small blood vessels (capillaries) and large ones, which may cause heart attacks, strokes or blood clots in the legs or lungs. These can be fatal. We wanted to find out, in cases of confirmed or suspected COVID-19:

• what are the most common pre-existing heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) problems (for example, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity); and
• what are the most common complications affecting the heart and blood vessels (for example, irregular heartbeat, blood clots, heart failure and stroke)  in different setting (in the community, care homes or in hospital).

What can the evidence tell us?

We found that high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease are very common in people hospitalised with COVID-19 and are associated with an increased risk of death. More than one-third of patients with COVID-19 had a history of high blood pressure and about one in every five had diabetes or were obese. Many had all three of these problems. Many people also had more advanced disease including an irregular heart beat or coronary heart disease (both about one in ten), stroke or heart failure (both about one in twenty). 

The most common new complication (in addition to pre-existing problems) after being hospitalized with COVID-19 is an irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation; 8.5%). Blood clots in the legs (6.1%) or lungs (4.3%), and heart failure (6.8%) were also common, but the reported rates may be underestimated because the studies did not always carry out appropriate investigations. Heart attacks (1.7%) and strokes (1.2%) were reported less often. Blood tests also often suggested heart damage or stress.

These results show what the clinical teams looking after patients with COVID should watch out for. Clinical teams are already aware of the risk of blood clots but may be less aware of the risk of developing atrial fibrillation or heart failure. Also, heart failure may be difficult to diagnose in a patient with COVID, so great care and attention is required not to miss this treatable diagnosis. 

What’s next?

The studies focused on people in hospital, with severe COVID-19, so the results do not apply to people who had milder COVID-19 who were not hospitalized. The studies were very different from each other and did not always report the results in the same way or use the most reliable methods. Older patients are at greater risk of having pre-existing problems, being hospitalized with COVID and having severe complications. This needs to be taken into account when assessing the risks. Accordingly, some uncertainty exists about how to apply our results to new patients with COVID. Analysis including more high-quality studies will increase the precision of risk-estimates overall, for specific subgroups (eg: older patients) and specific settings (eg: severe COVID managed in hospital compared to milder cases managed in the community). Our results also suggest additional potential therapeutic targets, such as atrial fibrillation and heart failure, that have not been the focus of trials so far.

We plan to update this review. However, in future, we will focus only on higher-quality evidence to increase the strength of our findings.  

We also plan to compare the risk of cardiovascular complications with COVID-19 with that observed in large series of other severe respiratory infections in hospitalised patients.

• Read the full review on the Cochrane Library
• Visit the Cochrane Heart website

Location of position: London, UK
Hours: Full Time
Salary: (inclusive of London allowance)£36,028 - £43,533 per annum
Closing date: 2 April 2021

Cochrane's eight Review Group Networks are responsible for the efficient and timely production of high-quality systematic reviews that address the research questions that are most important to decision makers.

Cochrane Circulation and Breathing Network is seeking a Cochrane Systematic Review Fellow (Network Support Fellow) to support the aims and objectives of the Network. 

Duties and Responsibilities: 

• Systematic review support for NICE and its guidelines bodies relevant to the Network area in order to ensure the timely delivery of required systematic reviews.
• Quality support for systematic reviews produced within the Network, including the use of triage and screening tools to accelerate the editorial process.
• Helping to co-ordinate training in the use of above tools.
• Editorial and author support for selected high- priority reviews.
• Support for introduction of new methods.
• Support for dissemination efforts and knowledge translation

View the full job description and apply before 2 April 2021. 

Keen to get experience with systematic reviews, but not sure where to start? Or perhaps you’re already experienced, and want to help out? Can you help with translation work, or would you like to find collaborators for your evidence synthesis project? 

TaskExchange is an online platform that connects people needing help with their systematic review with people who have the time and skills to help. A variety of tasks are posted on the platform, from literature searching, article screening and translation and data extraction, to statistical analysis, and consumer reviews. Whether you’re a complete beginner or very experienced, you’re bound to find a task that suits you! Any tasks completed count towards a Cochrane Membership. COVID-19 specific tasks are available. 

Posting tasks on TaskExchange to look for consumer, patient, or public input? Follow these top tips to make your task easier to understand and more likely to get a response. 

Explore tasks that are currently open! 

• Can you help us improve TaskExchange? We are looking for people who have used TaskExchange, both those who have used the site as contributors, and those who post tasks from Cochrane Groups, to attend one or two webinars to provide feedback and help us improve the platform. We’d like to include people with a range of experiences – from new volunteers to experienced Review Group editorial staff.
• Open translation tasks Task posters currently need translators for English to Chinese, as well as Dutch, Russian, and Hebrew to English, among others. Explore open translation tasks and volunteer!
• Consumer peer review Cochrane Review Groups are currently looking for consumers to provide feedback on reviews about interventions for COPD, functional abdominal pain syndromes (FAPS) in children, injectable drugs and other drugs for asthma, quitting smoking for cardiovascular disease, and others. Explore open consumer peer review tasks. 

We invite you to get started today with TaskExchange - sign up, browse the tasks, and respond to the tasks that catch your eye! If you are working on health evidence projects, you can post a task and get help, or browse contributor profiles to look for someone to collaborate with. 

Visit the TaskExchange website

The global Cochrane community are walking and raising money for the annual Anne Anderson Award, which is given to a Cochrane member who has contributed meaningfully to the promotion of women as leaders and contributors to the organization.

Given we can't meet in-person for our 2021 Anne Anderson Walk, we are doing it virtually. Participants are making donations and sharing pictures themselves on their walk or their local area - click on the map below to see! 

Who is Anne Anderson?
Anne Anderson was a contributor to the stream of thinking and effort that gave birth to evidence-based health care. A clinically qualified reproductive physiologist, Anne had an active interest in women’s health, co-editing the first edition of Women’s Problems in General Practice with Ann McPherson and contributed to Effectiveness and Satisfaction in Antenatal Care (1982), edited by Murray Enkin and Iain Chalmers. She was discussing with Marc Keirse and Iain Chalmers the possibility of co-editing a companion volume on elective birth, however her premature death from breast cancer in 1983 ended her involvement. Anne Anderson was 46 years old when she died. Iain Chalmers, Murray Enkin and Marc Keirse went on to publish Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth (ECPC) in 1989, dedicating the book in part to Anne. ECPC, through its systematic approach to assessing the research literature, is widely acknowledged to have led to development of Cochrane. 

What is the Cochrane Anne Anderson Award?
In the footsteps of Anne Anderson, many outstanding women continue to contribute and inspire other women to improve health knowledge for the good of their communities. Often these women are quiet achievers who might otherwise not be recognized. The goal of the Anne Anderson Award is to recognize and stimulate individuals contributing to the enhancement of women’s visibility and participation in the Cochrane leadership. The award is given to a Cochrane member who has contributed meaningfully to the promotion of women as leaders and contributors to the organization. 

The Anne Anderson Award winner receives a plaque from Cochrane honouring her contributions, as well as a cash award. The recipient designates the cash award to assist a woman from a low-resource setting with Cochrane activities.

What's the Anne Anderson Walk?
The Cochrane Colloquium, our annual flagship event, brings together the world’s most influential health researchers, scientists, academics, opinion leaders, clinicians, and patients to promote evidence-informed decision-making. It is here that the award is given out and the fundraising walk is held. The annual Anne Anderson Walk is a cherished annual social event, where attendees explore the Colloquium host-city by foot with a guide. Donations by participants are made to next year's Anne Anderson Award. 

Given current COVID-19 circumstances, Cochrane community's will be not be gathering in 2021 for a Colloquium. However, we are walking  together virtually between March and May and sharing pictures of our walks.

How can I participate?
All Cochrane Members and Supporters are welcome to participate in this virtual walk and fundraising effort! 

• Make a donation to the Anne Anderson Award 
• Submit a picture of your walk

Specifications: Full Time Maternity cover (Secondment/Consultancy role)
Salary: competitive
Location: Flexible
Application Closing Date:  7 March 2021

This role is an exciting opportunity to use your experience in the Events and Brand Support Officer role to make a difference in the field of health care research.  

Knowledge Translation (KT) is essential in achieving Cochrane’s vision and maximizes the benefit of the work of our global contributors. The Cochrane Knowledge Translation Strategy (KT Strategy) elaborates on Strategy 2020’s fundamental commitment to the dissemination, use and impact of Cochrane evidence.

This role will lead on supporting, developing and implementing Cochrane’s annual marketing and events calendar, to lead and coordinate Cochrane’s organizational virtual events in 2021 as well as preparations towards 2022’s events including Cochrane’s Toronto Colloquium hosted by Cochrane Canada, 11 - 14 September 2022, along with supporting brand and event activities of Cochrane’s Groups.

We are looking for a self-motivated and highly organized individual who is able to work effectively and collaboratively with a diverse range of contacts across the world.  

Cochrane is a global, independent network of health practitioners, researchers, patient advocates and others, responding to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by synthesizing research findings to produce the best available evidence on what can work, what might harm and where more research is needed. Our work is recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information. An understanding of Cochrane’s work and health research more generally is an advantage, but not essential.

How to apply

For further information on the role and how to apply, please click here.  The deadline to receive your application is by 22 February 2021.  The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements, using specific examples. Note that we will assess applications as they are received, and therefore may fill the post before the deadline.

• For further information, please download the full job description from here
• Deadline for applications: (12 midnight GMT Sunday 7 March 2021)
• Interviews to be held on: week commencing 15th March 2021

Cochrane is pleased to join other organisations and individuals in signing a World Health Organization (WHO) call for action about managing infodemics.

WHO defines an infodemic as “overabundance of information – some accurate and some not – that occurs during an epidemic. It can lead to confusion and ultimately mistrust in governments and public health response”. This has been a particular challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The WHO call for action encourages signatories to take the following steps:

1. Recognize that an infodemic is a tsunami of information—some accurate, some not—that spreads alongside an epidemic and note that it cannot be eliminated but it can be managed.
2. Acknowledge that infodemic management can reduce the direct and indirect negative impacts on the health of populations, as well as growing mistrust towards governments, science, and health personnel which has fueled the polarization of societies.
3. Emphasize that everyone has a role to play in addressing the infodemic.
4. Support a whole-of-society approach and engage with communities in the production, verification, and dissemination of information that leads to healthy behaviors during epidemics and pandemics.
5. Commit to finding solutions and tools, consistent with the freedom of expression, to manage the infodemic embedding the use of digital technologies and data science.
6. Strive to make science more accessible, transparent, and understandable, maintain trusted sources of information and promote evidence-informed policies thereby fostering people’s trust in them.
7. Learn from the COVID-19 infodemic management practices and share experience on value-added partnerships.

Cochrane is committed to supporting evidence-informed decision making through the production of high-quality, relevant, and up-to-date research syntheses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cochrane community has been actively trying to meet information needs.

• Read more about the WHO call for action
• Visit WHO’s infodemic management pages

Cochrane is made up of 11,000 members and over 67,000 supporters come from more than 130 countries, worldwide. Our volunteers and contributors are researchers, health professionals, patients, carers, people passionate about improving health outcomes for everyone, everywhere.

Getting involved in Cochrane’s work means becoming part of a global community. The Cochrane International Mobility programme connects successful applicants with a placement in a host Cochrane Group, learning more about the production, use, and knowledge translation of Cochrane reviews. The prgramme offers opportunities for learning and training not only for participants but also for host staff.

In this series, we profile those that have participated in the Cochrane International Mobility Program and learn more about their experiences.

Name: Marlide Jukema
Location: Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Cochrane International Mobility location: Cochrane Sweden

How did you first learn about Cochrane?
When I was searching for an interesting place for my master’s scientific internship I got in contact with Jos Verbeek, Coordinating Editor at Cochrane Work. He kindly redirected me to Matteo from Cochrane Sweden and it took off from there!

What was your experience with Cochrane International Mobility?
It’s been a great experience in many different aspects. I arrived with very little research skills, but they developed so quickly once I was in Sweden. Besides the research skills, I also really grew in my role as a researcher, meaning working with an international team, developing confidence, but also admitting when you get stuck and have to discuss matters with the team. At times it was quite challenging for me since I had no prior experience with the topic. However, I received so much guidance and support from Dr. Matteo. Having such a genuine caring and inspirational supervisor was an unexpected highlight of my stay.

What are you doing now in relation to your Cochrane International Mobility experience?
When I came back to the Netherlands I joined a systematic review in neonatology led by Cochrane Sweden, which I am currently contributing to. It’s a good opportunity to apply my new obtained skills and develop them further.

Do you have any words of advice to anyone conserving a Cochrane International Mobility experience?
If you are interested in the world of systematic reviews, let this be your sign to go for it!