We are delighted to confirm that Wiley will offer free one-click access to the Cochrane Library including more than 10,000 full text Cochrane Systematic Reviews and Protocols in over 100 countries with approximately 2.1 billion people. One-click free access is provided by country IP recognition for all the included countries, so no individual login is needed. Users from the eligible countries can simply go to www.cochranelibrary.com to gain full text access to Cochrane Reviews.
 

Effective 1 May 2018, Argentina will graduate out of the free access program. The country list is reviewed by Wiley and Cochrane annually, and is informed by the HINARI Access to Research in Health Programme list http://www.who.int/hinari/en/.
 

To find out if you are eligible to benefit from one-click free access, please visit the Cochrane Library access information page.

Thursday, April 12, 2018

Announcing a great opportunity for some keen tweeters to come to the Cochrane Colloquium 2018 (with free registration, accommodation and a travel bursary) as part of the #BeyondTheRoom team.

We’re really excited about this. Not ‘excited’ as in “we know we need to appear enthusiastic about this and this is an easy word to reach for” kind of excited, but actually excited!

In Edinburgh this September (Sunday 16th – Tuesday 18th) Cochrane UK is hosting Cochrane’s annual global conference, the Cochrane Colloquium. It will bring together around 1200 people who are interested in producing, sharing and using high quality evidence to inform health decisions.

Through talks, workshops and other activities and presentations, we will be exploring the broad themes of producing evidence, making evidence accessible and advocating for the use of evidence in making choices about health. There will be opportunities to meet new people, share ideas, take part in a variety of activities and maybe start new work together.

This year the theme is #CochraneForAll and, for the first time, it will be a Patients Included event. We are delighted to be involving patients and other healthcare consumers in the planning and delivery of the conference to a greater extent than ever before. We believe there are potential benefits for everyone in doing this, not only through enriching the conversations and ways of working together at the event, but also for improving the quality and relevance of Cochrane evidence and how it is shared and used. 

The event is not all work and no play. You can also look forward to a lively social programme.

Going #BeyondTheRoom

Also new this year is that we’re putting together a team to take the event #BeyondTheRoom. This digital conference service was started in 2016 by André Tomlin from the Mental Elf who saw an opportunity to increase the reach and impact of health events by live tweeting and podcasting from them, to involve people virtually and facilitate a much more democratic conversation (www.beyondtheroom.net). The #BeyondTheRoom team will include André and his colleague Douglas Badenoch, myself and Selena from Cochrane UK, and some new recruits – perhaps it could be you!

André explains:

“Our #BeyondTheRoom service helps health events reach the right audience. All too often, conversations at conferences are dominated by just a few voices. We open up the discussion to everyone who wants to be involved, but also work hard before the event to create a buzz and start to explore some of the key conference themes.”

Do you want to be part of the #BeyondTheRoom team at the Cochrane Colloquium?

We’re looking to add three people to the team. You are welcome to apply if you are a student (of any discipline, with an interest in health evidence), a patient/other healthcare consumer, or a health professional/allied health professional.

This is a brilliant opportunity to be part of an advanced social media activity, increase your visibility, and participate in our conference as a valued team member.

If you’re selected:

You will get free registration for the 3 days of the conference, including lunches and attendance at the Welcome Reception and Gala dinner, four nights accommodation and up to £200 for travel costs (reasonable costs, standard class travel). 

You will be part of the #BeyondTheRoom team:

• ahead of the event. A lot of work goes into #BeyondTheRoom ahead of the event, including preparing material to share on Twitter at the event. Each member of the team will need to do some of this preparation, which can be done remotely.
• at the event. All team members will be involved in Tweeting from the key talks and some other sessions. There may be opportunities to be involved in other activities such as podcasting and blogging, according to your skills and preferences.
• after the event. Write or contribute to a blog about the event and your #BeyondTheRoom experience.

What we are looking for

We are looking for experienced tweeters who can hit the ground running. We’ll be aiming to put together a team with a variety of experience and style! Familiarity with Cochrane and systematic reviews is not essential. Enthusiastic and interested people who are confident using Twitter are what we need!

How to apply

Complete and submit this form, telling us about yourself, why you’d like to do it and what you can bring to it. You are also welcome to get in touch via email if you’d like to find out more: general@cochrane.nhs.uk

Closing date: 4th May

Notification of the outcome by 14th May.

This is a brilliant opportunity. Please spread the word!

You can find us on Twitter @CochraneUK @SarahChapman30 @Mental_Elf #BeyondTheRoom 

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Cochrane and the Cochrane Iberoamerican Network are delighted to announce the launch of a new Centre in Mexico.

The Mexican Cochrane Centre consists of five Associated Centres located at Culiacán (Sinaloa's Pediatric Hospital), Guadalajara (University of Guadalajara), Mexico City (Mexico's Children Hospital Federico Gómez and Clínica Médica Sur Foundation) and Cuernavaca (National Institute of Public Health).

The Mexican Cochrane Centre will promote evidence-based decision making in health care in Mexico  by supporting and training new Mexican authors of Cochrane Reviews, as well as working with clinicians, professional associations, policy-makers, patients, and the media to encourage the dissemination and use of Cochrane evidence.

The Mexican Cochrane Centre is part of Cochrane, a global independent network of researchers, professionals, patients, carers and people interested in health. Cochrane works with collaborators from more than 130 countries to produce credible, accessible health information that is free from commercial sponsorship and other conflicts of interest.  Cochrane’s work is recognized as representing an international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

The Mexican Cochrane Centre will be led by the coordinators of the five Associated Centres,  which will offer methodological support, mentoring, and supervision in the country.

The Director of Cochrane Mexico, Giordano Pérez-Gaxiola, says this is a hugely exciting opportunity: “The launch of the Mexican Cochrane Centre is very important, both to Mexico and globally. Producing and increasing the dissemination of the best available information on health care is critical for clinicians and patients everywhere in the world, including Mexico”

Cochrane’s CEO Mark Wilson,  warmly welcomed today’s news, “I am delighted we are announcing the Mexican Cochrane Centre which, by working closely together, will deepen and expand the scope, reach, and impact of Cochrane activities on health and healthcare decision making across Mexico. This is also an important announcement for global health research. The Mexican Cochrane Centre will promote recognition of studies conducted and published in Mexico and this will not only simply increase the access of evidence, but also promote sharing of clinical experiences across the country, and the world.”

•  Visit the Cochrane Mexico website

For further information, please contact,

Jo Anthony

Senior Media and Communications Manager, Cochrane 

M +44(0) 7582 726 634 E janthony@cochrane.org or pressoffice@cochrane.org

About Cochrane
Cochrane is a global independent network of researchers, professionals, patients, carers and people interested in health.

Cochrane produces reviews which study all of the best available evidence generated through research and make it easier to inform decisions about health. These are called systematic reviews.
Cochrane is a not-for profit organisation with collaborators from more than 120 countries working together to produce credible, accessible health information that is free from commercial sponsorship and other conflicts of interest. Our work is recognised as representing an international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.

Find out more at cochrane.org
Follow us on twitter @cochranecollab

If you are a journalist or member of the press and wish to receive news alerts before their online publication or if you wish to arrange an interview with an author, please contact the Cochrane press office: pressoffice@cochrane.org

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Stipend applications closing Friday 27 April 2018

A number of stipends and bursaries are available to help consumers and other attendees based in developing countries to attend Cochrane Colloquium Edinburgh 2018.

The stipends (funding you can apply for, if eligible) are to help cover registration, travel, accommodation, and other expenses associated with attending the 2018 Colloquium.

Cochrane are providing stipends for: 1) Cochrane Consumers; 2) Cochrane contributors living in low-, lower-middle-, (LMIC) and upper-middle-income countries (UMIC); 3) students living in LMIC and UMIC countries.

The deadline for applying is Friday 27 April 2018.

Follow the link to find out whether you are eligible and how to apply: colloquium.cochrane.org/stipends-and-bursaries

Further information:

• Website: colloquium.cochrane.org
• Twitter: @CochraneUK and #CochraneForAll
• Facebook: facebook.com/CochraneUK
• Sign up for the newsletter

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

New evidence on the best drugs to prevent postpartum haemorrhage point away from Oxytocin – the standard drug currently used to treat this condition.

• Bleeding after birth is the most common reason why mothers die in childbirth worldwide.
• Includes data from 88,000 women across 140 trials.
• The review found that ergometrine plus oxytocin, misoprostol plus oxytocin, and carbetocin were more effective drugs for reducing excessive bleeding at childbirth than oxytocin which is the current standard drug used to treat this condition.

Bleeding after birth is the most common reason why mothers die in childbirth worldwide. Although most healthy women can cope well with some bleeding at childbirth, others do not, and this can pose a serious risk to their health and even life. To reduce excessive bleeding at childbirth, the routine administration of a drug to contract the uterus (uterotonic) has become standard practice across the world.

The aim of this research from Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth was to identify which drug is most effective in preventing excessive bleeding after childbirth with the least side-effects.

Different drugs given routinely at childbirth have been used for preventing excessive bleeding. They include oxytocin, misoprostol, ergometrine, carbetocin, and combinations of these drugs, each with different effectiveness and side-effects. Side-effects may include: vomiting, high blood pressure and fever. We analysed all the available evidence to compare all of these drugs and calculated a ranking among them, providing robust effectiveness and side-effect profiles for each drug.

This network meta-analysis includes 140 randomised trials with data from 88,947 women.

The authors’ of the review concluded:

Ergometrine plus oxytocin, misoprostol plus oxytocin, and carbetocin were more effective drugs for reducing excessive bleeding at childbirth than oxytocin which is the current standard drug used to treat this condition.

Carbetocin has the least side-effects (less vomiting, high blood pressure and fever) among the top three drug options, but to date studies of carbetocin were small and of poor quality.

There are some ongoing studies that are not yet complete, including two key studies. One is a large study (involving around 30,000 women across 10 different countries) comparing the effectiveness of carbetocin versus oxytocin for preventing PPH among women having a vaginal birth. The other is a UK-based trial (involving more than 6000 women) comparing carbetocin, oxytocin and ergometrine plus oxytocin combination. Both trials are expected to report in 2018 and these results will be incorporated when this review is updated.

University of Birmingham Clinician Scientist Dr Ioannis Gallos, of the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group and Review Author, said: "Whilst postpartum haemorrhage is a rare complication, it is the most common reason why mothers die in childbirth worldwide and happens because a woman's womb has not contracted strongly enough after birth or the placenta has been left in the womb and results in excessive bleeding.

"Currently, to reduce excessive bleeding at childbirth, the standard practice across the world is to administer to women during the third stage of labour a drug called oxytocin - a uterotonic which contracts the uterus and stimulates contractions to help push out the placenta.

"However, there are a number of other uterotonics and combinations of these drugs that can be given that may be more effective and result in fewer side effects.

"By analysing data from 140 different clinical trials involving over 88,000 women, we have been able to use evidence to compare all of these drugs and calculate a ranking among them, providing robust effectiveness and side-effect profiles for each drug.

"Our research is important as it has highlighted which drugs may be more effective than oxytocin and we hope that this could impact existing recommendations worldwide."

This Cochrane review is expected to be updated later this year to incorporate the results of some key ongoing studies which will report their findings in coming months, including a large study involving around 30,000 women across 10 different countries comparing the effectiveness of carbetocin versus oxytocin for preventing bleeding in women having a vaginal birth, and a UK-based trial involving more than 6,000 women comparing carbetocin, oxytocin and ergometrine plus oxytocin combination.

• Read the Cochrane Review
• Visit the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth website
• Visit the Cochrane Child and Families website

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

The Lung Cancer Group is looking for an author of systematic reviews in English language

You will participate in the writing of the LCG systematic reviews from the registration of the titles until the publication of the reviews.

Missions and activities

Mission 1:  Participation in the systematic reviews of the group

Activities :      

• Writing  review protocols
• Bibliographic search
• Selection of studies to be included in reviews
• Data extraction
• Assessment of risk of bias in included studies
• Writing reviews
• Regular updates of existing reviews
• Participation in the peer review of reviews submitted to the group by external authors

Mission 2:  Seeking finance

Activities :

• Identification of possible sources of funding
• Writing funding applications

Mission 3:  Literature monitoring in lung cancer

Activities :  

• Identification of reviews and other sources of information
• Reading and integration of the latest news in lung cancer
• Diffusion of the relevant information to the LCG

Skills 

• English : read, written and spoken, excellent level required 
• Writing skills
• Ability to work autonomously
• Rigorous approach and organisational skills
• A medical background would be an advantage
• Knowledge on cancer research, ideally on lung cancer
• Basic understanding of medical statistics

Please send your application to lungcancergroup@chu-besancon.fr before 15 June 2018

Wednesday, April 4, 2018 Category: Jobs

“In the end, this will improve health around the world,” said Maria Emilia Aragon de Leon, a consultant with the Division of Policy and Governance for Health and Well-being, who attended bothfull-day workshops on systematic reviews and qualitative evidence synthesis. She clarified: “Even though we are not necessarily producing evidence in our program, we are using it. These workshops can help any WHO staff member make better use of the evidence to make informed choices about the policies, plans, strategies and interventions we recommend.”

“At university” she continued, “you normally get an introduction to systematic reviews and methods. These workshops went into much more detail about which tools are available, which steps you need to follow, and they introduced me to the methods for systematic reviews for qualitative studies, which I was not familiar with at all. In general, both workshops helped me better understand how to assess evidence and make sure I use high-quality information only.”

The two workshops on 14 and 16 February 2018 consisted of a combination of presentations, hands-on exercises, interactive sessions, plenary sessions and group discussions. They were organized by the Division of Information, Evidence, Research and Innovation and its Knowledge Management, Evidence and Research for Policy-Making (KER) unit in line with the mandate of the Evidence-informed Policy Network (EVIPNet) Europe in collaboration with Cochrane and with the support of the WHO/Europe Staff Development Team. Both workshops were wellattended by staff and consultants from divisions and units across the European Regional Office.

The benefits of training in Cochrane methodology
Cochrane’s systematic reviews and qualitative evidence syntheses, as well as the methods used to develop them, are widely considered to be the benchmark for high-quality information about the effectiveness of health care and public health nterventions.

Training in Cochrane’s methodology and the conceptual and practical applications for conducting systematic reviews and qualitative evidence synthesis is, therefore, an essential resource for WHO staff: To increase their knowledge and skills on how these reviews are developed and to ensure that their work is based on high-quality, relevant and up-to-date synthesized research evidence.

A focus on the systematic use of quantitative and qualitative evidence
The workshops emphasized the impact of using both quantitative and qualitative reviews on effectiveness as well as implementation and acceptability, and were facilitated experienced Cochrane trainers:

The workshop on systematic reviews on 14 February was co-facilitated by Liliya Ziganshina (Director of Cochrane Russia) together with Livia Puljak (Inaugural Director of Cochrane Croatia and its current Knowledge Translation Coordinator), who both have extensive experience in training a wide range of users in support of fostering research utilization.

The workshop on qualitative evidence synthesis on 16 February was co-facilitated by Ruth Garside (one of the conveners of the Cochrane Qualitative & Implementation Methods Group) who has extensive experience in both qualitative evidence synthesis and implementation research, and Heather Ames (Cochrane Norway), a pioneer in using CERQual, a transparent method for assessing the confidence of evidence from reviews of qualitative research.

A step towards a stronger partnership – and the use of stronger evidence
The workshops cemented the relationship between Cochrane and WHO. Since 2011, WHO has engaged in meaningful collaborations with Cochrane, which envisions a world of improved health where decisions about health and health care are informed by high-quality, relevant and up-to-date synthesized research evidence.

Co-facilitator Liliya Ziganshina from Cochrane Russia said, “With this workshop, WHO Europe has once again proved its strong commitment to trusted evidence and informed decisions, which are at the very heart of its mandate in health-policy guidance to countries for better health. EVIPNet Europe will continue to develop in the framework of the WHO partnership with Cochrane.”

• Read more about Cochrane's partnerships
• Cochrane Evidence used in new WHO guideline on intrapartum care for a positive birth experience
  World Health Organization uses Cochrane evidence in breastfeeding guideline
• Use of Cochrane Reviews to inform WHO guidelines

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Cochrane Eyes and Vision is an international network of individuals working to prepare, maintain, and promote access to systematic reviews of interventions to treat or prevent eye diseases or visual impairment. They also do systematic reviews of the accuracy of diagnostic tests for common ocular diseases or conditions.

Cochrane Eyes and Vision registered as a Cochrane group in April 1997. Since that time, they have published 264 protocols of which 187 (71%) have been converted to full reviews:

• 41 of these reviews have been updated once;
• 21 have been updated twice;
• 13 three times; and
• 7 reviews updated four or more times.

To celebrate their 21st anniversary, members of Cochrane Eyes and Vision gathered  at the Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) in London.  Colleagues from Cochrane Eyes and Vision US Satellite  at John’s Hopkins University Baltimore joined them by Skype. They had a lively discussion, in particular focussing on the prioritisation of review topics going forward.

"As we celebrate the 21st anniversary of Cochrane Eyes and Vision, it is an opportunity for us to look back at all our accomplishments and towards the future for our Review Group,” says Richard Wormald and Jenny Evans, co-ordinating editors for Eyes and Vision. “We recently had a lovely celebration of the last 21 years and are looking forward to the future, in particular working with the new Long-term Conditions and Ageing Network and focussing on global priorities for new and updated review."

• Visit the Cochrane Eyes and Vision website

Thursday, April 5, 2018

Cochrane Crowd is an online citizen science platform that enables anyone with an interest in health to contribute to health evidence. Our volunteers make it easier for health researchers to find the latest, high-quality evidence on what treatments work and don’t work. This means health practitioners can more easily access current evidence to inform the treatments they provide. Just a few minutes each day makes a huge difference.

This webinar introduces Cochrane Crowd and how you can get involved.

Tuesday 17th April 12.30-1.30pm AEST
Register for free

Can’t make it at this time? We will tweet the webinar recording once it’s available, so follow us at @cochrane_crowd.

crowd.cochrane.org

Support for Project Transform was provided by Cochrane and the National Health and Medical Research Counc12/12/1996il of Australia (APP1114605). The contents of the published material are solely the responsibility of the Administering Institution, a Participating Institution or individual authors and do not reflect the views of the NHMRC.

Thursday, March 29, 2018

Specifications: Full Time
Salary: Competitive
Location: London
Application Closing Date: 20th April 2018

This role is an exciting opportunity to use your experience as an Executive Assistant to make a difference in the field of health care research. 

To provide an efficient and responsive administrative, organisational, and logistical service to the Editor in Chief (EiC), Deputy Editor in Chief and Editorial and Methods Department (EMD) leadership team, helping them to manage and prioritise their time and to support the strategic aims and operational activities of the department.

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.  The successful candidate will also have:

• Previous PA/Secretarial experience at a senior level.
• Excellent typing skills - speed and accuracy essential.
• Intermediate IT skills, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Ability to prioritise and manage own workload amid conflicting demands and busy work periods.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Ability to communicate confidently with people at all levels.
• Proven ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Ability to exercise discretion and diplomacy in dealing with confidential or sensitive matters.

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.

If you would like to apply for this position, please send a CV along with a supporting statement to recruitment@cochrane.org with “Executive Assistant to Editor in Chief” in the subject line.  The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements for the post outlined in the job description using specific examples.  List your experience, achievements, knowledge, personal qualities, and skills which you feel are relevant to the post.

• For further information, please download the full job description.

Deadline for applications: 20th April 2018 (Midnight)
Interviews to be held on: (TBC)

Wednesday, March 28, 2018 Category: Jobs

Looking at the discussion of memories and past experiences using tangible prompts such as photographs or music to evoke memories and stimulate conversation.

• Listen to the podcast from the lead author
• Read the blog post 'Do memories matter? Is reminiscence over-rated as a therapy for people with dementia?' on Evidently Cochrane

Reminiscence Therapy (RT) involves the discussion of memories and past experiences with other people using tangible prompts such as photographs or music to evoke memories and stimulate conversation. RT may be offered to groups of people with dementia (in some cases with their family carers also involved) or on a one-to-one basis, often resulting in a life story book.

This updated Cochrane Review of reminiscence therapy for dementia was first published in 1998, and last updated in 2018.

We wanted to find out what effect reminiscence therapy has on people with dementia. In particular, we were interested in effects on quality of life, communication, cognition (the general ability to think and remember), mood, daily activities and relationships. We were also interested in any effects on carers.

In the absence of disease modifying pharmacological treatments for the dementias, psychosocial approaches offer the potential for people with dementia to experience the best possible quality of life. Reminiscence approaches have been used with people with dementia for many years – probably the most popular psychosocial approach in fact. Yet, only in this up-dated review are we seeing sufficient research of reasonable quality to enable evidence-based recommendations about its use and effects.

Not all ‘Reminiscence therapy’ is the same in its effects on people with dementia and carers. We were encouraged to find that the amount and quality of research on RT for dementia has increased considerably since the last version of this review. We concluded that the effects of RT vary, depending on the way it is given and whether it takes place in care homes or the community. However, there is some evidence that RT can improve quality of life, cognition, communication and possibly mood in people with dementia in some circumstances, although all the benefits were small. More research is needed to understand these differences and to find out who is likely to benefit most from what type of RT. Positive benefits were most often seen in care home studies. It is possible reminiscence is especially helpful in maintaining personal identity, which becomes more vulnerable with a move to care home, without the familiar prompts and triggers for personal identity embedded in the person’s own home. Research on digital life story books and reminiscence apps is in its infancy, but is likely to have a major impact on the field in years to come.

• Read the Plain Langauge Summary
• Listen to the podcast from lead author
• Read the full Cochrane Review
• Read the blog post 'Do memories matter? Is reminiscence over-rated as a therapy for people with dementia?' on Evidently Cochrane
• Visit the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Impairment website
• View a round-up of Cochrane evidence for 'World Alzheimers Day'

Monday, July 9, 2018

Looking at the discussion of memories and past experiences using tangible prompts such as photographs or music to evoke memories and stimulate conversation.

Reminiscence Therapy (RT) involves the discussion of memories and past experiences with other people using tangible prompts such as photographs or music to evoke memories and stimulate conversation. RT may be offered to groups of people with dementia (in some cases with their family carers also involved) or on a one-to-one basis, often resulting in a life story book.

This updated Cochrane Review of reminiscence therapy for dementia was first published in 1998, and last updated in 2005.

We wanted to find out what effect reminiscence therapy has on people with dementia. In particular, we were interested in effects on quality of life, communication, cognition (the general ability to think and remember), mood, daily activities and relationships. We were also interested in any effects on carers.

In the absence of disease modifying pharmacological treatments for the dementias, psychosocial approaches offer the potential for people with dementia to experience the best possible quality of life. Reminiscence approaches have been used with people with dementia for many years – probably the most popular psychosocial approach in fact. Yet, only in this up-dated review are we seeing sufficient research of reasonable quality to enable evidence-based recommendations about its use and effects.

Not all ‘Reminiscence therapy’ is the same in its effects on people with dementia and carers. We were encouraged to find that the amount and quality of research on RT for dementia has increased considerably since the last version of this review. We concluded that the effects of RT vary, depending on the way it is given and whether it takes place in care homes or the community. However, there is some evidence that RT can improve quality of life, cognition, communication and possibly mood in people with dementia in some circumstances, although all the benefits were small. More research is needed to understand these differences and to find out who is likely to benefit most from what type of RT. Positive benefits were most often seen in care home studies. It is possible reminiscence is especially helpful in maintaining personal identity, which becomes more vulnerable with a move to care home, without the familiar prompts and triggers for personal identity embedded in the person’s own home. Research on digital life story books and reminiscence apps is in its infancy, but is likely to have a major impact on the field in years to come.

• Read the Plain Langauge Summary
• Read the full Cochrane Review
• Visit the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Impairment website
• View a round-up of Cochrane evdience for 'World Alzheimers Day'

Tuesday, April 3, 2018

Cochrane Nursing  Care establishes new publication agreement with British Journal of Community Nursing and extends its agreement with the American Journal of Nursing

The Cochrane Nursing Care Field (CNCF) established a brand new publication agreement with the British Journal of Community Nursing. The journal will feature a ‘Cochrane Corner’ column monthly throughout 2018.

The British Journal of Community Nursing is the UK's leading peer-reviewed journal for district nurses, featuring the most current clinical coverage and research on primary care nursing. The periodical is designed to help nurses manage complex cases more effectively, improve case management skills, and help healthcare professionals gain a greater understanding of best practices with a view to improving hospital procedures.

The CNCF is also pleased to announce the highly ranked American Journal of Nursing (AJN) will be extending its existing publication agreement with the Field and has requested production of a further seven summaries on Cochrane reviews. The new agreement will see the Field’s ‘Cochrane Corner’ column feature in this periodical throughout 2018 and into 2019.

The CNCF is delighted this highly subscribed journal continues to appreciate the value in disseminating relevant Cochrane evidence to the international nursing community. With an impact factor of 1.30, the AJN is one of the highest ranked international publications for nurses and healthcare professionals, providing comprehensive and in-depth information to help nurses stay current in their profession. First established in 1900, the AJN is the oldest nursing journal still in publication. In 2009 the journal was selected as one of the "100 Most Influential Journals in Biology and Medicine in the Last 100 Years" by the Biomedical and Life Sciences Division of the Special Libraries Association. Peer reviewed and evidence-based, the AJN’s articles are written by nurses and healthcare professionals who pursue excellence in practice and aspire to advance in their careers, whatever the setting.

Predominantly a clinical practice journal, the AJN publishes clinical reviews, original research, and provides news and analyses related to technology, drugs, management and professional issues and health care trends, offering solutions to the challenges facing today's practicing nurse.

Publication in the AJN has had a significant impact on the broader dissemination of the Field’s summary evidence, helping to get valuable Cochrane research to a larger number of nurses and related healthcare clinicians internationally.

On the journal’s agreement renewal with the CNCF and the continued publication of Cochrane review summaries, Maureen Shawn Kennedy, MA, RN, FAAN, Editor in Chief of the AJN, writes: “We’ve found running periodic instalments of the CNCF’s ‘Cochrane Corner’ a valuable adjunct to our mission of disseminating evidence-based information to our largely clinically based readers.”

“As the oldest continuing circulated nursing journal in the world, the AJN has a legacy of over 115 years of providing nurses with fact-based information to aid them in their practice and career. Today, with so much information available at the touch of a keyboard, it can be difficult to differentiate between what’s research-based and unbiased from that which is sponsored and unsupported by evidence. It’s vital that nurses have access to accurate information and at the AJN, where accuracy is paramount, we rely on the CNCF’s summaries to help us provide that information. We’ve increased the CNCF’s column from quarterly, to now offering the articles to our readers six times or more a year. It’s been increasingly popular and we’re delighted that more of our readers are discovering it.”

Amy Collins, Managing Editor for the American Journal of Nursing, is also an advocate for the dissemination work performed by the CNCF and adamantly supports the journal’s ongoing collaboration with the Field. On the summaries produced by the CNCF Amy writes: “As the Managing Editor of the AJN, I am pleased that we will be continuing our collaboration with the Cochrane Nursing Care Field. Our Cochrane Corner column, which features streamlined summaries of Cochrane reviews, provides nurses with the trusted research they need to inform practice. This fruitful collaboration, which we have enjoyed for several years, marks our commitment to disseminate evidence-based research to our wide nursing audience.”

• Visit the Cochrane Nursing  Care website

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

High quality evidence shows that vertebroplasty does not provide more clinically important benefits than placebo but may cause people harm.

Osteoporosis is characterised by thin, fragile bones and may result in minimal trauma fractures of the spine bones (vertebrae). They can cause severe pain and disability. Vertebroplasty involves injecting medical-grade cement into a fractured vertebra through a needle, under light sedation or general anaesthesia. The cement hardens in the bone space to form an internal cast. This procedure has been widely used to treat osteoporotic vertebral fractures, although two placebo-controlled trials published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2009 found that the benefits were no greater than placebo. Since then three further placebo-controlled trials have been completed that limited inclusion to people with symptoms up to only 6 or 8 weeks.

A team of Cochrane authors based in Australia, Canada, and the United States worked with Cochrane Musculoskeletal to update the 2015 Cochrane Review on available evidence of the benefits and harms of vertebroplasty for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral fractures. Studies compared vertebroplasty versus placebo (no cement injected) (five studies, 541 participants); usual care (eight studies, 1136 participants); kyphoplasty (similar but before the cement is injected a balloon is expanded in the fractured vertebra; seven studies, 968 participants); and facet joint steroid injection (one study, 217 participants). The trials were performed in hospitals in 15 countries, the majority of participants were female, aged between 62.6 and 81 years, and symptom duration ranged from a week to six months or more. Eight trials received at least some funding from medical device manufacturers and only two of these reported that they had no role in the trial.

High quality evidence shows that vertebroplasty does not provide more clinically important benefits than placebo. The results did not differ according to duration of pain ≤ 6 weeks versus > 6 weeks (4 trials, up to 332 participants) and these findings were supported by a 5th placebo-controlled trial (42 participants with pain up to eight weeks), that also showed no clinically important benefits of vertebroplasty compared with placebo.

We are less certain of the risk of new vertebral fractures or other serious effects; quality was moderate due to the small number of events. Serious adverse events that may occur include spinal cord or nerve root compression, rib fractures, infection in the bone, fat leaking into the bloodstream, damage to the covering of the spinal cord that could result in leakage of cerebrospinal fluid, anaesthetic complications, and death.

“In 2015, we published a Cochrane review and concluded that based upon moderate quality evidence, our review did not support a role for vertebroplasty for treating osteoporotic vertebral fractures in routine practice. While the  procedure was removed from the Medical Benefits Scheme in Australia following publication of the initial placebo-controlled trials, the procedure continues to be used here and in other countries,” says Professor Rachelle Buchbinder, Director of the Monash Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Cabrini institute and Monash University, Australia and Cochrane Review lead author as well as lead author of one of the first placebo-controlled trials. “This updated Cochrane Review includes the results of further trials and strengthens our previous conclusions – there is now high quality evidence that there are no clinically important benefits over placebo although there is potential to cause harm.”

“We hope that this updated Cochrane Review with the best available evidence will help inform policy in Australia and in other countries,” added Buchbinder.

• Read the full Cochrane Review
• Visit the Cochrane Musculoskeletal website
• Visit the Cochrane Australia website
• Visit the Cochrane Canada website

Thursday, April 5, 2018

Location of position: London
Hours: Part Time
Hours per week (%FTE): 80% FTE (4 days / 29.2 hrs)
Salary (inclusive of London allowance): £34,635 - £41,864 per annum (Salary pro-rata for part time vacancies)

Duties and Responsibilities

UCL Institute of Health Informatics invites applications for a Trial Search Co-ordinator with Cochrane Heart.

The Appointee will work closely with review authors in identifying studies for inclusion in their reviews and will take responsibility for maintaining and developing the Group’s Specialised Register of trials. The post holder will be a key part of a small team, responsible for assisting review authors through the process of preparing and updating reviews for publication in the Cochrane Library.

The post holder will be required to work four days per week. The appointment is for a 12 month maternity cover, starting in June 2018. Candidates wishing to job share would be considered.  The successful candidate will be based at the Institute of Health Informatics at 222 Euston Road.

Key Requirements

The post holder will contribute to the publication of systematic reviews in the field of heart disease. The successful candidate will have a qualification in librarianship or information science but others with appropriate experience are also welcome to apply.  Knowledge of medical terminology, the Cochrane Collaboration and/or the Cochrane Library and experience of critical appraisal of the systematic review process would be desirable.

Further Details

Informal enquiries: If you wish to discuss the posts informally, please contact Professor JP Casas, email: jp.casas@ucl.ac.uk.

For more information and to apply, please see full job discription here.

Closing Date: 8 Apr 2018
Interview date: 26 April 2018 Monday, March 19, 2018 Category: Jobs

Specifications: Full Time
Salary: Competitive
Location: Flexible; London, UK prefered
Application Closing Date: 11/04/2018

Cochrane is a global independent network of health practitioners, researchers, patient advocates and others, responding to the challenge of making the vast amounts of evidence generated through research useful for informing decisions about health. We do this by identifying, appraising and synthesizing individual research findings to produce the best available evidence on what can work, what might harm and where more research is needed.

Our work is recognized as the international gold standard for high quality, trusted information. We want to be the leading advocate for evidence-informed health care across the world.

Job Description: This new role, as part of Cochrane’s Knowledge Translation (KT) department. This role will be responsible for leading and managing Cochrane’s media and external communications to raise the profile and impact of Cochrane and evidence informed healthcare, and to support the organization’s strategic and knowledge translation aims and operational activities. Some of the key tasks include:

• Contribute to the implementation of Cochrane’s Knowledge Translations Strategy within the thematic area of ‘packaging and push,’ which describes a programme of work bridging production, dissemination and support to implementation through creating fit for purpose reviews and disseminating these effectively.
• Work, establish, and build new relationships with Cochrane authors and Review Groups and Networks to support, mentor and enhance their communications and social media activities.
• Establish new, and maintain relationships with key international media outlets, health and science correspondents, journalists, producers and editors.
• Eork as part of a core Central Executive team to create media campaigns, press releases, spokesperson statements and other KT audience-focused content and resources.
• Act as main focal point for all reactive media requests and manage them effectively and efficiently.

Requirements: 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.  The successful candidate will also have:

• A degree or equivalent experience working within an external communications and media environment, or in journalism, and/or in a similar role.
• Demonstrable experience of advising and implementing a media, social media and communications strategy in conjunction with others; and proven success in communicating the vision and mission of an organization.
•    Proven ability to manage multiple projects and work assignments.
•    Proven ability to work alongside varied teams in different cultural and linguistic settings.
•    Impressive interpersonal skills both in person and through teleconferences and webinars.
•    An excellent understanding of multi-media platforms and how to successfully implement effective strategies to achieve the Cochrane’s Knowledge Translation’s operational objectives.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Willingness to work flexibly including outside normal working hours to accommodate different time-zones, and sporadic international travel.
• Commitment to Cochrane’s mission and principles.

If you would like to apply for this position, please send a CV along with a supporting statement to recruitment@cochrane.org with “Media and External Communications Officer” in the subject line.  The supporting statement should indicate why you are applying for the post, and how far you meet the requirements for the post outlined in the job description using specific examples.  List your experience, achievements, knowledge, personal qualities and skills which you feel are relevant to the post.

For further information, please download the full job description.

Deadline for applications: Wed 11 April 2018 (12 midnight GMT)
Interviews to be held on: week of 16 April 2018

Monday, March 19, 2018 Category: Jobs

Cochrane has recently helped to launch the International Network for Public Involvement and Engagement in Health and Social Care Research (#globalPPInetwork).

Patient and public involvement (PPI) can be defined as research being carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ members of the public rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them. Some countries and organisations use different terms, including ‘consumer involvement’ and ‘public engagement’ to mean this same activity. Patient involvement in research ensures that it better reflects the needs and priorities of patients, carers and the public.

Richard Morley, Cochrane’s Consumer Engagement Officer explained: “This is an exciting moment. I believe that by joining together and building the #globalPPInetwork, it will support international and regional health and research organisations to create a paradigm shift in the culture and practice of involvement and engagement in research”.

Cochrane is joined by representative from COMET, NIHR, INVOLVE, and Warwick Medical School.

To launch the #globalPPInetwork an official launch meeting was made with thirty three representatives from ten countries. Participants ranged from PPI ‘practitioners’ and managers, involved members of the public, researchers, policy makers, and health professionals. Simon Denegri, NIHR commented: ‘Our sense is that everyone has come away from the international network event feeling excited and enthused but also realistic and pragmatic about the challenges and opportunities ahead. Our sincere thanks to you all for helping us get to this point with great insights, contributions and discussion on the day.’

Next steps include a series of webinars and a meeting in person at the Royal Society, London and also online on 22nd May 2018. Follow the conversation on Twitter #globalPPInetwork

• Read more about the launch of the #globalPPInetwork
• Read the blog post 'Tessa Richards: Patient and public involvement in research goes global' 
• Share your ideas in a survey and leave your details if you would like to be involved

Friday, March 16, 2018

Stipend applications open until Friday 27 April 2018A number of stipends and bursaries are available to help consumers and other attendees based in developing countries to attend Cochrane Colloquium Edinburgh 2018.

The stipends (funding you can apply for, if eligible) are to help cover registration, travel, accommodation, and other expenses associated with attending the 2018 Colloquium.

Cochrane are providing stipends for: 1) Cochrane Consumers; 2) individuals living in low-, lower-middle-, (LMIC) and upper-middle-income countries (UMIC); 3) students living in LMIC and UMIC countries.

The deadline for applying is Friday 27 April 2018.

Find out whether you are eligible and how to apply. 

Further information:

• Website: colloquium.cochrane.org
• Twitter: @CochraneUK and #CochraneForAll
• Facebook: facebook.com/CochraneUK
• Sign up for the newsletter

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

The Cochrane Library App presents the latest up-to-date evidence from the Cochrane Library in a convenient, easy to navigate format which provides you with relevant, accessible research, when you need it, from the world’s leading experts in evidence-informed health care.

All content in the app is free, and new issues will download regularly to your Newsstand.

• Download the app from iTunes (iPad and iPhone)
  
• Download the app from GooglePlay (Android)

Our monthly issues feature a hand-picked selection of Cochrane Systematic Reviews, specifically abridged to provide the best possible reading experience. The themed sections in every issue are colour-coded throughout so that you can easily find content relevant to you. The Bookmark feature allows you to create your own special collection of Cochrane Reviews across issues. Additionally, the title page for every review includes a link to the full version of the review available on the Cochrane Library.

Our main review this month is 'Workplace interventions for reducing sitting at work'.

• Download the free Cochrane Library App from iTunes or GooglePlay today!
  

Wednesday, July 18, 2018

The March for Science champions robustly funded and publicly communicated science and calls for science that upholds the common good, and for political leaders and policymakers to enact evidence-based policies in the public interest.

Cochrane officially supports and is in partnership with the March for Science.

This year, the March for Science will hold an international Day of Action on Saturday, 4 May 2019.

A large flagship march is being organised in New York City, with satellite marches and events, such as science town halls, rallies and outreach events, taking place in cities around the world on the same day.

Over the last two years, the global March for Science movement has organized 1,000 events and mobilized millions of people to support science and justice. The March for Science is a celebration of passion for science and the many ways science serves our global communities.

This year, the March for Science will highlight the need for science-based climate action and healthcare, as well as the importance of science education.

For more information on how you can get involved, please visit the official March for Science website, or follow the #MarchforScience2019 and #May4Science hashtags on social media.

For more information on how you can get involved:

• March for Science website 
• Find a march near you and register your attendance
• See the Cochrane Community March resources

Thursday, April 25, 2019