Support : Publications : Chronolog Archives : September 2001

New on DataStar™
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

Summer 2001 saw the launch of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (label: CDSR) on DataStar.

In today's world, healthcare professionals, consumers, researchers and policy makers are faced with an unmanageable amount of information. The Cochrane Collaboration was formed in response to this problem. This grouping bears the name of Archie Cochrane, a British epidemiologist, who first called attention to the collective ignorance about the effects of healthcare, and recognized that the people who need to make informed decisions do not have ready access to reliable reviews of evidence-based research. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews is the premier resource in Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM)--one of the fastest-growing areas of medical interest.

The international collaborative effort that was founded in response to Cochrane's agenda has created a body of people with a vast collective knowledge that systematically reviews randomized, controlled trials. Key elements of these reviews are not just that they bring together available research, but that they are done systematically and kept up-to-date. In this way, not only will users always have the latest information, but also planning for new research will be well informed and researchers and funding bodies will not miss promising leads or embark upon studies asking questions that have already been answered.

The Cochrane Collaboration has evolved rapidly, but the basic principles have remained the same. It is an international organization built on nine core values:

• collaboration
• enthusiasm of individuals
• avoiding duplication
• minimizing bias
• keeping up-to-date
• ensuring relevance
• ensuring access
• continually improving the quality of its work
• continuity

There are over 50 contributing review groups, and they cover most of the important areas of healthcare; new groups continue to be added. The members of these groups--researchers, healthcare professionals, consumers, and others--share an interest in generating reliable, up-to-date evidence relevant to the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of particular health problems or groups of problems. Examples of questions members consider are: How can stroke and its effects be prevented and treated? What drugs should be used to prevent and treat malaria, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases? What strategies are effective in treating brain and spinal cord injury and its consequences, and what rehabilitative measures can help those with residual disabilities?

The database comes in two parts: the summaries file (label: CDSR -- available on all DataStar platforms) and the full reviews which can be accessed via DataStarWeb only. Access to these full reviews is from CDSR, where a link is embedded in each summary document. Clicking the link will take you to the full review, which is presented as a PDF document.

Each full review incorporated in the database consists of:

• a 'cover sheet' giving the title and citation details; names and contact details of the reviewers; and the sources of support for preparing the review
• a structured abstract
• discussion of the results of the analysis
• implications for practice and research
• full citations to reports of studies included and those considered in the review but not included
• tables of the characteristics of the studies in the review, including information relevant to an assessment of the methodological quality of each of the studies
• tables and graphs of the results of the review, with presentation of the statistical syntheses (meta-analyses), when these were both possible and appropriate

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