What is the Cochrane Collaboration?
The Cochrane Collaboration is an international network of health care professionals
who are interested in preparing, maintaining and disseminating comprehensive, regularly
updated critical reviews of evidence from randomised controlled trials relevant
to their specialty interests. The collaboration is named after the British Professor
of Public Health, Archie Cochrane, who in 1979 wrote:
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"it is surely a great criticism of our profession that we have not organised a critical
summary, by specialty or subspecialty, adapted periodically, of all relevant randomised
controlled trials".
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Read more information about the Cochrane
Collaboration.
Information about training and support can be found at the Australasian Cochrane
Centre - New Zealand Branch Teaching page.
The Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group (MDSG)
The MDSG is one of many
Collaborative Review Groups consisting of individuals sharing an interest in a particular
field of health. Each individual in any group may contribute to the group in a number
ways, from writing reviews, peer reviewing reviews, providing information about
trials, handsearching journals to translating articles. The group is coordinated
by an editorial team and directed by
an Editorial board.
Collaborative
Review Groups
We are concerned with the evaluation of healthcare relevant to the prevention and
treatment of menstrual disorders and subfertility. Our aim is to establish a database
of randomised controlled trials and to prepare and maintain systematic reviews.
Specifically, the MDSG:
- carries out exhaustive searches for all relevant randomised controlled trials (RCT's)
both published and unpublished
- scrutinises each trial for its relevance and quality
- critically appraises trials
- draws conclusions based on pooling data about how their net result should be applied
in healthcare
- produces structured reports (systematic reviews) for widespread dissemination to
health care providers and planners.
Check the Scope of the MDSG
Register your title for review
Systematic reviews
A systematic review is a review in which evidence (usually from RCTs) on a topic has been systematically
identified, critically appraised and summarised according to predetermined criteria,
in an effort to reduce bias. Systematic reviews often include meta-analysis, a statistical
technique to combine the results of a number of different RCT's. Systematic reviews
are important because health professionals and consumers depend on them to cope
with the overwhelming volume of reports of primary research.
Reviews are also important because they provide new information that may not be
apparent from individual studies.
For more information on preparing reviews,
read the Reviewer's Handbook.
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