Having a good understanding of what trusted healthcare evidence is enables us to make more informed healthcare decisions. These four brief videos tailored for patients, caregivers, students, and healthcare professionals, provide a deeper understanding of systematic reviews.

Four brief animations have been co-produced by the Cochrane Crowd team, Evidence Synthesis Ireland, and the public. They are designed for patients, the public, healthcare professionals, students and more, who want to learn about systematic reviews and the main steps involved in producing a review.
They are free to use for teaching public and patient involvement - just give credit and let us know you are using them.

 

"At Cochrane patient and carer engagement and involvement plays a vital role," says Anna Noel-Storr, Cochrane’s Evidence Pipeline Lead. “We’ve created four 2-minute animations covering the key steps involved in producing a systematic review. Systematic reviews are such an important part of what we do. They help us to assess the effectiveness of treatments.These animations are designed to give a glimpse into what’s involved in producing a systematic review. We hope you’ll enjoy them!"

Asking the right questions

Finding the evidence

Assessing the evidence



Synthesizing the evidence

Interested in learning more? Explore Cochrane Evidence Essentials, a comprehensive introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine, clinical trials, and Cochrane evidence. Gain essential insights to navigate the complexities of healthcare research and make informed decisions with confidence.

 

Thursday, April 18, 2024

Cochrane's members and 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, where they learn 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 who have participated in the Cochrane International Mobility Program and learn more about their experiences.

Name: Yu-Tian
Location: China
CIM Location: Cochrane Sweden

How did you first learn about Cochrane?
I first learned about Cochrane in 2015 when I was a medical student at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. I was browsing through an online Chinese discussion forum for medical professionals and I came across a post giving a brief introduction to Cochrane. This aroused my interest and I further explored the official website of Cochrane. Before long I started participating in RCT screening in Cochrane Crowd and applying for tasks on the volunteer platform Cochrane Engage. In 2016, I decided to attend the 24th Cochrane Colloquium in Seoul, where I met many encouraging people in person who provided help and detailed guidance on how to get started. Most notably, I was fortunate to meet Juan Franco and colleagues, who invited me to become a co-author of two Cochrane reviews on non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions for treating chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome.

What was your experience with your Cochrane International Mobility?
I had previously completed a few requests on Cochrane Engage posted by Matteo Bruschettini from Cochrane Sweden, and in 2023 he involved me in a Cochrane review update. Matteo is super kind, supportive, and professional in both neonatal care and evidence synthesis methodology. Our team of three held Zoom meetings on a regular basis, where Matteo would always patiently guide us through every single step and explain to us in details from the evolution of Cochrane methods to tips on software use.

What are you doing now in relation to your virtual Cochrane International Mobility experience?
We have just submitted our Cochrane review about cycled light in NICU for preterm and low birth weight infants. I didn't even realize how much I had learned from this experience until now, as I work on other systematic reviews related to urology; I feel much more confident and everything runs much more smoothly than I previously expected. I am truly grateful to Matteo for providing this wonderful virtual CIM experience.

Do you have any words of advice to anyone considering a Cochrane International Mobility experience?
I strongly encourage anyone interested in systematic review and critical appraisal of evidence to participate in Cochrane activities and connect to the welcoming culture and people. For those who are getting started, remember that Cochrane Handbook and the abundant resources in Cochrane Training are always there for you, and that a CIM experience is the best opportunity to find you a teacher and put everything you are learning into practice. Do not give up or feel frustrated that you are not making any real progress; all these bits of training will gradually sink in, and one day they’ll just click.

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Lund University in Sweden is using Cochrane training materials and tools to help medical students better understand and interpret health evidence.

Lund has an institutional subscription offering all staff and students access to Cochrane Interactive Learning and RevMan. Cochrane Interactive Learning was developed by world-leading experts and provides 12 modules of self-directed learning on conducting a complete systematic review process for both new and experienced review authors. RevMan simplifies creating systematic reviews and meta-analyses and presenting the results in forest plots. Lund has successfully embedded these resources into their medical education curriculum since 2018. 

In 2017, the university’s medical degree program team reviewed their curriculum with a view to enhancing the scientific scholarship elements of the course. Working closely with Cochrane Sweden and the faculty library, they developed a curriculum that embeds Cochrane Interactive Learning modules and practical tools to help future doctors better engage with and contribute to scientific literature. 

The initiative was spearheaded by Maria Björklund, Librarian in Lund University’s Faculty of Medicine, who collaborated with colleagues across the university to make the Cochrane-informed curriculum a reality. The team have now described and published their approach in BMJ Evidence Based Medicine to help other medical schools who may wish to follow suit. 

“Incorporating Cochrane training materials in the curriculum has proven to be a success,” says Maria. “Student feedback has been positive, and some have been inspired to co-author their own systematic reviews or go into clinical research. It’s been a collaborative effort from the start and has been incredibly rewarding for everyone involved. The Cochrane modules perfectly complement our refreshed curriculum, supported by passionate tutors and doctors practicing evidence-based medicine sharing their real-world experience of how to apply the principles in practice.” 

The curriculum embeds Cochrane Interactive Learning, which offers online interactive courses to any university or individual with a subscription. These provide a thorough grounding in systematic review and evidence evaluation, supported by in-person workshops and assignments throughout the Lund University course. 

The close collaboration between faculty staff at Lund and Cochrane Sweden means that students who are inspired to take their interest further have excellent opportunities to do so. Matteo Bruschettini, Director of Cochrane Sweden, helps to mentor and support students who want to co-author their own Cochrane reviews in their areas of interest. 

“Thanks to the Cochrane training materials in the curriculum, many students are inspired and empowered to conduct systematic reviews,” says Matteo. “Through Cochrane Sweden, we help them to design and take forward new Cochrane reviews. This is really a win-win, as we know that the students have an excellent grounding in the relevant methods and we can help them put it into practice and contribute to health evidence themselves. Collaboration is key to the success of this project, and Lund is very lucky to have Maria and her team to drive this forward.” 

Cochrane resources are currently embedded in Lund’s medical doctor training course, and are being rolled out in other subjects including public health, psychology and medical science. This has been driven by word of mouth due to the popularity of the modules among staff and students.

“It’s inspiring to see how Lund University has used Cochrane resources to enhance their medical training and ensure that the doctors of the future are well-equipped to navigate the complex evidence landscape,” says Catherine Spencer, Chief Executive of Cochrane. “I would love to see more medical schools around the world following their example, and we would be happy to speak to anyone who is interested in taking this forward." 

• Learn more about Cochrane Interactive Learning|
• Learn more about RevMan

Thursday, April 11, 2024

気管支肺異形成を発症する危険がある早産児を副腎皮質ステロイドで治療することの利点とリスク 要点 気管支肺異形成のリスクが高い新生児に対する唯一の有効な治療法は、現在のところ、 生後1週間以降 に投与するデキサメタゾンによる治療である。 副腎皮質ステロイドを界面活性剤とともに気管に直接投与することが、将来有望な治療法になるかもしれない。 生後1週間までに デキサメタゾンを投与したり、 生後のどこかの時点で ヒドロコルチゾンを投与したりする治療法は効果がないか、あるいは安全ではない可能性がある。 気管支肺異形成とは 超早産や早産で生まれた赤ちゃんは、医学用語で気管支肺異形成（BPD）と呼ばれる肺損傷のリスクが高い。BPDの赤ちゃんは、BPDではない赤ちゃんに比べて死亡する確率が高く、死亡を免れてもその後の人生に（肺の状態が悪い、再入院の頻度が高い、小児期の発達が悪いなど）悪影響を受ける。BPDの原因の一つは肺の炎症である。炎症は、傷害に対する身体の一般的な反応である。 BPDの治療法 副腎皮質ステロイド（以下、ステロイド）は炎症に作用する（赤ちゃんの免疫反応を鎮め、腫れを抑える）薬であり、BPDの予防や治療のために早産児に投与される。しかし、ステロイドによって重篤な副作用（腸管穿孔（消化管に穴が開く）や小児期の発達の悪化など）が起こることもある。早産児に使用されるステロイドの例として...

医療現場以外でのSARS-CoV-2感染リスク軽減を目的とした職場介入は、どのような利益と害があるのか？ 要点 - 職場でSARS-CoV-2（新型コロナウイルス）感染を予防する最善の方法に関する質の高いエビデンスは見つからなかった。結果を報告している研究は1件しかなく、その結果については非常に不確かである。 - さまざまな職場介入による利益と害をよりよく理解するためには、より大規模で綿密にデザインされた研究が必要である。 レビューテーマの紹介 新型コロナウイルス（COVID-19）は、世界的に蔓延している呼吸器感染症である。COVID-19の原因ウイルスであるSARS-CoV-2（重症急性呼吸器症候群コロナウイルス2）に感染した人は、重症化する可能性があり、特に高齢者や基礎疾患のある人は死亡するリスクがある。パンデミックの期間中、職場におけるSARS-CoV-2への労働者の曝露を防止または低減しようとする様々な介入が実施されてきた。 調べたかったこと これらの介入がCOVID-19感染率、欠勤、COVID-19関連死亡、有害事象に及ぼす影響を調査した． 実施したこと 以下の4つのカテゴリーに基づいて介入を検討した研究を検索した。 - 曝露の排除（自己隔離戦略など） - 技術的管理（同僚や作業員と一般の人々を分離または隔離するための障壁など） - 管理統制（在宅勤務など） - 個...

歯科矯正装置は、小児や十代の若者の反対咬合（下顎前歯が突出している状態）を改善するか？ 要点 小児期における非外科的および外科的矯正治療は、噛み合わせや顎骨の位置を改善することができる。しかし、これらの効果がどの程度持続するのかは不明である。 小児期に患者を治療することで、成人期における顎矯正手術の必要性を防ぐことができるかどうかを明らかにするには、十分な期間をかけて研究する必要がある 反対咬合（アンダーバイト、受け口）とは何か？ 下あごの前歯が突出している状態（反対咬合）は、上あご（上顎）の骨（上顎骨）が後退しすぎている、下あご（下顎）の骨（下顎骨）が前方に突き出ている、上顎の前歯が後方に傾いている、下額の前歯が前方に傾いている、またはこれらの組み合わせによって引き起こされる可能性がある。この場合、からかいの対象になったり、食事に支障をきたす、または顎関節症などの問題を引き起こしたりする可能性がある。 反対咬合はどのように治療されているのか？ 反対咬合の歯科矯正治療には、口の内側または外側に装着し、歯に固定するタイプの矯正装置、あるいは頭部に装着するタイプの矯正装置を用いる方法がある。これらの矯正装置には、上顎の歯と骨が前下方に移動するよう促すもの、下顎骨の成長を制限するもの、あるいは両方の作用を持ったものがある。 何を調べようとしたのか？ 本レビューは2013年に行ったレビュ...

早産新生児における肺疾患の予防と治療のための吸入気管支拡張薬の利点とリスクは？ 要点 - 未熟児の慢性肺疾患予防のための気管支拡張薬（呼吸を助けるために気道を広げる薬）の吸入（息で吸い込む）使用に関する研究は2件しか見つからなかった。 - ある研究から、気管支拡張剤サルブタモールの使用は、プラセボ（偽薬）と比べて死亡や慢性肺疾患の予防に効果がない可能性が示唆された。 - サルブタモールが気胸（肺虚脱）のリスクに影響を及ぼすかどうかは不明である。どちらの研究でも気管支拡張薬の有害作用（望ましくない作用、有害な作用）は報告されていない。 気管支肺異形成とは？ 早産、特に妊娠28週以前に生まれた新生児は、臨月または臨月近くに生まれた新生児に比べて、死亡、肺疾患、脳障害のリスクが高い。たとえば、知的障害、失明、難聴になる赤ちゃんもいる。慢性肺疾患は、早産児によく見られる、自力で呼吸ができず、酸素吸入や機械的人工呼吸（人工呼吸器）による補助が必要な疾患である。 気管支拡張薬とは？ 気管支拡張薬は肺の空気の通り道を広げる薬である。早産児の肺にある小さな気道を開く可能性があるため、慢性肺疾患の治療に使用されてきた。早産児に気管支拡張剤を投与することで、慢性肺疾患を予防できる可能性もある。気管支拡張薬は、吸入（吸入器、パファーとも呼ばれる）、経口投与、注射、ネブライザー（気管支拡張薬をスプレーや...

At the Cochrane Collaboration, open science has long been at the heart of our ethos. From publishing free plain language summaries in multiple languages to making study data available, we have always strived to make our evidence accessible, transparent and useful to as many people as possible.

Since 2013, we’ve made all Cochrane reviews freely available 12 months after publication and all protocols freely available immediately. Over 3 billion people worldwide have immediate access to all content through national access agreements and our free access offering to over 100 low- and middle-income countries.

We’d like to go further to ensure that everyone can benefit from access to Cochrane evidence. However, in this challenging funding environment, we still need income to keep producing and publishing the reviews that are trusted by researchers, clinicians and policymakers worldwide.

We have to balance our open access ambitions with our responsibility to run the charity sustainably. A model that made our content free, but deprived us of the income to produce or publish it in the first place, would be of little benefit to anyone. Our original ambition was to make all Cochrane reviews open by 2025 if we could identify a financially sustainable path to get there, without putting the onus on authors. However, it became clear that this would not be possible in that timescale. While full open access remains our ambition, we have to be realistic about how long this will take and are exploring ways to broaden access to our content in the meantime.

Standing by our principles

Our independence is one of our core founding principles; we do not accept donations or sponsorship from conflicted sources, such as pharmaceutical or medical device companies. That makes us unusual among medical and scientific charities, many of which rely on corporate benefactors to pay the bills. Not Cochrane. As a charity that publishes impartial assessments of many medical interventions and diagnostics produced and promoted by corporations, we have a strong conflict of interest policy to protect our content from undue influence.

We want our reviews to be accessible to as many people as possible, but we won’t compromise our principles or quality. The complexity of producing, editing and publishing systematic reviews makes Cochrane a poor fit for the current ‘gold’ open access model, where authors pay a fee to cover publishing costs. Conducting and publishing systematic reviews is neither cheap nor easy, and this vital work needs to be funded.

Investing in the future

As we can’t make everything open access immediately, we are working with our publisher, Wiley, to broaden global access to Cochrane content while ensuring we can still produce it.

We are working together to significantly expand free public access worldwide. Fourteen countries currently have national provisions whereby government agencies sponsor free public access for everyone in the country. Visitors from those countries do not encounter paywalls and can access Cochrane Library content without logging in. Building on this, we aim to unlock content for large regions when a critical mass of countries within the region subscribe to the Cochrane Library via national provisions. We will work towards this goal collaboratively with Cochrane groups across the world, national funding agencies and Wiley.

We intend to make all review protocols open access from 2025 onwards with a CC-BY license and are exploring open access for other outputs such as editorials and plain language summaries. We will continue to invest in our open access journal, Cochrane Evidence Synthesis and Methods, helping the global evidence synthesis community to keep up with the latest methodological developments. We may also add other open access journals to our core database of products in the future.

Looking ahead

We are still working out the details of our long-term transition to open access, but we are confident that we will arrive at a sustainable solution that balances the needs of authors, readers and subscribers. The Cochrane Collaboration was founded 30 years ago to fill a crucial evidence gap, and we need to preserve our income and integrity to ensure we can continue to fulfil our mission in the decades to come. We hope that you will support us on this journey as we strive to produce the best health evidence and make it accessible to everyone, everywhere.

Monday, April 8, 2024

New online learning is now freely available about critical appraisal of rapid reviews as part of Cochrane’s flagship Evidence Essentials modules for the public.

Written from the perspective of a healthcare consumer this new module is for anyone interested in the critical appraisal of rapid systematic reviews or any review.

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

• Outline when and why a rapid review may be conducted
• Describe the differences between rapid and systematic reviews
• Understand and apply key concepts for assessing the quality of a rapid review by using the CASP tool

The learning is interactive, with quizzes, animations, and ways to check your knowledge.

This module is the latest in Cochrane’s “Evidence Essentials” that gives an introduction to Evidence Based Medicine, clinical trials, systematic reviews and how to use evidence when making decisions about your health. The modules have been visited over 97,000 times since their launch, and the first 4 modules have now been translated into Spanish, German, and Russian.

The module’s content creation has been led by Emily Clark, National Collaborating Centre for Methods and Tools at the McMaster University, School of Nursing. Emily welcomed the launch of the new module:

“I’m so excited to see the launch of the module. It builds on the work that we have been doing at McMaster to spread understanding of critical appraisal of rapid reviews amongst the wider public. We’ve used a rapid review about risk factors associated with severe COVID-19 outcomes in children 5 years and under as the basis for this learning, and we show people how to use the CASP framework to appraise a review. This new Evidence Essential model should give non-scientists a way to check the quality of a review.”

Richard Morley, Cochrane’s Consumer Engagement Officer, said:

“The Evidence Essentials puts into one exciting place information that consumers (patients, carers and the public) can use to understand about health research, and in the case of this latest module, assess the quality of a review before using it to make decisions about healthcare choices. In a world where information and misinformation are abundant, the ability to judge the evidence is vital for the public.”

There are now six interactive modules in Evidence Essentials: an introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine, Randomized Controlled Trials, Introduction to systematic reviews, Understanding and using systematic reviews; Consumer involvement in Cochrane and the latest, Critical appraisal of rapid reviews.

Modules are free to use, with a Cochrane account and are found at https://training.cochrane.org/essentials

Monday, April 29, 2024

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

A new Cochrane review has found that taking zinc may help to reduce the duration of common cold symptoms by about two days, but the evidence is not conclusive and potential benefits must be balanced against side-effects. 

Since the 1980s, zinc products have been marketed as treatments for the common cold and are particularly popular in the USA. Zinc is an essential mineral naturally found in many foods and plays a role in immune function. Most people in high-income countries get enough zinc through their diets, although aging and some chronic diseases may lead to deficiency. 

The theory behind zinc-based lozenges, sprays and syrups is that the zinc may interfere with viral replication when it comes into contact with viral particles in the nose, mouth and throat. Zinc has been shown to interfere with viral replication in petri dishes and mice, although this alone doesn't tell us whether something will work in real people. 

To test if zinc is useful in preventing or treating a cold, a team of researchers looked at 19 human trials examining zinc as a treatment and 15 as a preventative measure. They identified a lot of variation between the studies in how zinc was administered, how much was given, how they defined a ‘cold’ and what they measured. 

Eight studies with 972 participants investigated zinc as a treatment to reduce cold duration. Combining the results of these studies yielded low-certainty evidence that it may help to reduce duration by around two days, down from an average week-long duration in the groups who received placebo.  

The review found no strong evidence to conclude that zinc treatment impacts the severity of cold symptoms. The prevention studies showed no clear evidence of benefit from taking zinc before the onset of a cold; those taking zinc preventatively had similar outcomes to those who didn’t. 

Common side-effects of zinc reported in the trials included bowel problems, nausea and unpleasant taste. There was no clear evidence of more serious side-effects directly resultant from zinc. 

“People considering zinc to treat a cold should be aware of the limited evidence base and possible side-effects,” says Assistant Professor Daryl Nault of Maryland University of Integrative Health, first author of the review. “Ultimately, it’s up to the individual to decide whether the risk of potential unpleasant side-effects is worth the benefit of potentially shortening their illness by a few days. The best advice remains to consult your physician if you’re feeling unwell and inform them if you use any supplements. While there have been many trials investigating zinc, the approaches vary, so it is difficult to draw conclusions with certainty.” 

The trials included in the review varied in many ways including the type of zinc, the dose of zinc given, whether it was given as a lozenge or nasal spray, and how the outcomes were reported and measured. Some trials measured for a fixed time window and asked participants if they still had a cold at the end. Others measured the time between symptoms starting and resolving, although this was defined slightly differently by each study. Few studies monitored the status of individual symptoms, such as sore throat, cough or fever, so there was insufficient evidence to draw any reliable conclusions about specific symptoms. 

“The evidence on zinc is far from settled: we need more research before we can be confident in its effects,” says Assistant Professor Susan Wieland of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, senior author of the review. “Future studies should adopt standardized methods for administering and reporting treatments and defining and reporting outcomes. Additional studies focusing on the most promising types and doses of zinc products and using appropriate statistical methods to assess outcomes that are important to patients will enable us to understand whether zinc may have a place in treatment of the common cold.” 

• Read the full Cochrane review and plain language summary in the Cochrane Library 
• Listen to the podcast

Thursday, May 9, 2024

Specifications: Permanent – Full Time (1.0 FTE.)
Salary:   circa £35,000 per Annum
Location: (Remote – Flexible) Ideally based in the UK, Germany or Denmark. Candidates anywhere from the world will be considered; however, Cochrane’s Central Executive Team is only able to offer consultancy contracts outside these countries for 1-Year.
Closing date: 21 April 2024

Cochrane is an international charity. For 30 years we have responded to the challenge of making vast amounts of research evidence useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by synthesising research findings and our work has been recognised as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

Cochrane's strength is in its collaborative, global community. We have 110,000+ members and supporters around the world. Though we are spread out across the globe, our shared passion for health evidence unites us. Our Central Executive Team supports this work and is divided into four directorates: Evidence Production and Methods, Publishing and Technology, Development, and Finance and Corporate Services.

To help maintain and evolve Cochrane’s cloud hosting and application deployment infrastructure, ensure applications’ dependencies are kept current (both independently and in collaboration with development teams), and promote operational awareness across the infrastructure. This role works across development and operations (DevOps).

Don’t have every single qualification? We know that some people are less likely to apply for a job unless they are a perfect match. At Cochrane, we’re not looking for “perfect matches.” We’re looking to welcome people to our diverse, inclusive, and passionate workplace. So, if you’re excited about this role but don’t have every single qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. Whether it’s this role or another one, you may be just the right candidate.

Our organization is built on four core values: Collaboration: Underpins everything we do, locally and globally. Relevant: The right evidence at the right time in the right format. Integrity: Independent and transparent. Quality: Reviewing and improving what we do, maintaining rigour and trust.

You can expect:

• An opportunity to truly impact health globally.
• A flexible work environment
• A comprehensive onboarding experiences.
• An environment where people feel welcome, heard, and included, regardless of their differences.

Cochrane welcomes applications from a wide range of perspectives, experiences, locations, and backgrounds; diversity, equity and inclusion are key to our values.

How to apply

• For further information on the role and how to apply
• The deadline to receive your application is 21 April 2024.
• The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements, using specific examples.
• Read our Recruitment Privacy Statement

Monday, April 15, 2024 Category: Jobs

We are thrilled to announce the publication of a new editorial titled "Unlocking the Power of Global Collaboration: Building a Stronger Evidence Ecosystem Together," authored by Prof Zoe Jordan of JBI, Dr Vivian Welch of The Campbell Collaboration, and Dr Karla Soares-Weiser of Cochrane. This editorial is now available simultaneously in JBI Evidence Synthesis, Campbell Systematic Reviews, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. It underscores the urgent need for collaborative efforts to harness the potential of evidence synthesis on a global scale. This collaborative endeavour reflects the shared commitment of the three organisations to foster cooperation, aiming to enhance both health outcomes and policy efficacy worldwide.

The editorial highlights the pivotal role of collaboration in addressing contemporary global challenges, emphasizing the collective commitment of JBI, The Campbell Collaboration, and Cochrane to foster cooperation for enhanced health outcomes and policy efficacy worldwide. Dr. Karla Soares-Weiser said: "This co-publication marks a significant milestone for all three of our organizations and reaffirms our dedication to collaboration. Our respective communities are profoundly collaborative and communicative within their domains, and we'd now like to catalyze further collaboration between and across them. We're particularly excited about the upcoming Global Evidence Summit, where leaders in evidence synthesis and evidence-based practice, including Cochrane, JBI, Guidelines International Network (GIN), and The Campbell Collaboration, will convene to share best practice and promote cross-disciplinary working."

Scheduled for September 2024, the Global Evidence Summit represents a unique opportunity for professionals across various sectors to engage in discussions about evidence production, summarization, and dissemination, informing policy and practice. Dr. Soares-Weiser emphasized the importance of this event: "The GES serves as a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration, crucial for addressing global challenges in health, education, social justice, and the environment." As the editorial advocates for a shift towards enhanced collaboration, the Global Evidence Summit sets the stage for meaningful dialogue and action.

• Learn more about the Global Evidence Summit
• Read the editorial

Jordan Z, Welch V, Soares-Weiser K. Unlocking the power of global collaboration: building a stronger evidence ecosystem together. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2024, Issue 4. Art. No.: ED000166. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.ED000166.

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Door-to-door tuberculosis (TB) screening and contact tracing can improve diagnosis rates, but must be paired with effective follow-up care to be successful, a new Cochrane review has found.

Active case finding (ACF) seeks to improve diagnosis rates in people living in communities who may not otherwise present to health facilities, helping them access treatment and reduce onward transmission.

Despite being a key strategy of most TB strategies globally, there is often little consideration of how these programmes are experienced by communities. This is essential in designing appropriate and effective services.

Published ahead of World TB Day (24 March), a new review published by Cochrane Infectious Diseases, based at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, looked at studies of community experiences towards ACF programmes for TB in any endemic low- or middle-income country. This was a qualitative evidence synthesis that looked at the evidence from 45 studies. 

Senior author and Cochrane Infectious Diseases Editor, Professor Sandy Oliver,  said, “The power of qualitative syntheses like these is in their ability to capture rich information from various contexts to develop a deep understanding of how policies play out in the real world – how services deliver them, how communities receive them or avoid them, what might make them work a little better, and why”.

The review authors found that ACF improves access to diagnosis for many, but does little for those in financial need to continue care. People may also experience stigma in relation to screening.

It was also shown that ACF can create expectations for follow-up care that health systems may not be able to meet, as well as health workers finding it difficult to implement.

This Cochrane Review will help to better understand policy in action and the perceived benefit relative to the harm of ACF.

Lead author Melissa Taylor said: “Active case finding brings diagnosis to many of those who may otherwise not have received it. However, our review demonstrates it is essential that active case finding is linked to well-resourced follow up services and wider health system strengthening.”

• Read the full Cochrane review and plain language summary
• Learn more about this review on the Cochrane Infectious Diseases website

Taylor M, Medley N, van Wyk SS, Oliver S. Community views on active case finding for tuberculosis in low‐ and middle‐income countries: a qualitative evidence synthesis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2024, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD014756. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD014756.pub2

Thursday, March 21, 2024

細気管支炎を起こした乳幼児に対する高流量鼻カニューレ（チューブ）酸素療法 細気管支炎とは？ 細気管支炎は、（細い）下気道におこる、乳幼児（月齢24か月未満）によく見られる病気である。通常、ウィルス感染が原因となり、咳、速い呼吸、喘鳴などの呼吸障害を引き起こすが、哺乳不良となる可能性もある。これは乳幼児が入院する主な原因の一つである。細気管支炎の治療は対症療法である。つまり、入院が必要な場合は、感染症が治るまで、患児の呼吸を補助することになる。呼吸を助ける方法として、次第に多く採用されるようになっているのは、空気と酸素を混合し、加温、加湿したものを、鼻カニューレ（酸素供給用チューブ）を通じて、従来の（低流量）加湿しない酸素供給の最大流量である毎分2リットルより高い流量で供給する方法である。これは高流量鼻カニューレ療法として知られ、これによって空気と酸素の混合ガスを高流量で快適に供給し、換気を改善しうる。他方、持続的気道陽圧法（CPAP）も細気管支炎の治療に次第に多く使われるようになっている。この療法では、空気と酸素の混合ガスを事前に設定された気圧で供給することによって、気道を開いた状態に保ち、呼気時（息を吐くとき）に虚脱が起きないようにする。 調べたかったこと 高流量酸素療法は、侵襲的な呼吸補助（挿管（人工呼吸）など）の必要性の低減につながりうるほか、上気道の乾燥を防ぐなど、他の治...

心理療法は、長期療養を受ける高齢者のうつ病を軽減するのに有効か？ 要点 - 長期療養（LTC）施設（例えば、介護施設や老人ホーム、介護付き有料老人ホームなど）に居住する高齢者では、心理療法（トーキング・セラピーとして知られることもある）は心理療法でないケアよりもうつ病の症状をよく治療する可能性がある。 - 心理療法はまた、生活の質(QOL)や心理的ウェルビーイング（個人の情緒的健康と全体的機能）を短期的に向上させるためには、心理療法でないケアよりも優れているかもしれない。 - 十分なエビデンスがないため、心理療法の広範な利益や長期的な効果は不明である。 調べたかったこと 心理療法がLTC環境におけるうつ病の管理に有益かどうかを調べたかった。 重要である理由 うつ病はLTCで暮らす高齢者によく見られる。このような人々は、うつ病を治療するために薬を処方されることが多い。心理療法が有効な選択肢になるかもしれない。 高齢者のうつ病の治療には、どのような心理療法があるか？ LTC生活者のうつ病を治療する心理療法には、行動療法、認知行動療法、回想療法などがある。 実施したこと LTC施設で生活するうつ病の高齢者に対する心理療法を、代わりのケアと比較した研究を検索した。治療終了後、短期（3か月まで）、中期（3か月から6か月）、長期（6か月以上）の追跡調査における結果(評価項目)を検討した。 研...