Cochrane (previously known as the Cochrane Collaboration) is a British international charitable organisation formed to organise medical research findings to facilitate evidence-based choices about health interventions involving health professionals, patients and policy makers.

Stuart is a surname which was also adopted as a given name, traditionally for men. It is the French form of the Scottish surname Stewart. The French form of the name was brought to Scotland from France by Mary Stuart, in the 16th century.

Cochrane is a surname with multiple independent origins, two Scottish and one Irish. One of the Scottish names derives from a place in Scotland; the Irish surname and the other Scottish surname are both anglicisations of surnames from the Irish language and Scottish Gaelic respectively.

Cochrane Reviews are systematic reviews of primary research in human health care and health policy and are internationally recognized as the highest standard in evidence-based health care. They investigate the effects of interventions for prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Each Cochrane Review is a systematic review that has been prepared and supervised by a Cochrane Review Group (editorial team). It attempts to identify, appraise and synthesize all the empirical evidence that meets pre-specified eligibility criteria to answer a specific research question.

Five other types of systematic reviews

• Scoping review. Preliminary assessment of the potential size and scope of available research literature.
• Rapid review.
• Narrative review.
• Meta-analysis.
• Mixed methods/mixed studies.

Cochrane Reviews are updated to reflect the findings of new evidence when it becomes available because the results of new studies can change the conclusions of a review. Cochrane Reviews are therefore valuable sources of information for those receiving and providing care, as well as for decision-makers and researchers.

Why is Cochrane information good quality? The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews provides an excellent source of good quality systematic reviews which are considered the gold standard of evidence based information. The information is unbiased as it is not sponsored by drug companies.

All residents of Norway can access the Cochrane Library for free, thanks to funding for a national provision from the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services.

Our experience confirms that most Cochrane reviews are of a good standard. This is a considerable achievement, especially given the unpaid and voluntary nature of the work. The regularly updated electronic publication and the comments and criticisms facility offer great advantages.

At its core is the collection of Cochrane Reviews, a database of systematic reviews and meta-analyses which summarize and interpret the results of medical research. The Cochrane Library aims to make the results of well-conducted controlled trials readily available and is a key resource in evidence-based medicine.

How do I get started?

1. Decide on your topic for a review.
2. Make sure your proposal does not duplicate any work already published or registered with Cochrane.
3. Identify a team of authors for your review.
4. Identify the CRG that is most relevant to your topic of interest.
5. Make contact with the CRG.

The Cochrane Library (ISSN 1465-1858) is a collection of databases that contain different types of high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making. The Cochrane Library is owned by Cochrane and published by Wiley. The Cochrane Library is available as a Spanish language version.

The systematic review or meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and evidence-based practice guidelines are considered to be the strongest level of evidence on which to guide practice decisions.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) results from the integration of available research, clinical expertise, and patient preferences to individualize care and promote effective care decision-making.

EBP

5 steps of Evidence Based Practice

1. Ask a question.
2. Find information/evidence to answer question.
3. Critically appraise the information/evidence.
4. Integrate appraised evidence with own clinical expertise and patient’s preferences.
5. Evaluate.

Evidence-Based Practice Resources

1. PubMed for Nurses: Provides free access to MEDLINE, the NLM database of indexed citations and abstracts.
2. Welch Medical Library: For Johns Hopkins Health System employees.
3. CINAHL Complete: A research tool for nursing and allied health professionals.