Cochrane exists so that healthcare decisions get better.’ That is the first sentence of our Strategy to 2020 that aims to put Cochrane evidence at the heart of health decision-making all over the world. Here’s a look back at some key highlights of our work in the first quarter of 2019, from January to March.
Cochrane began preparations for its annual flagship event, Cochrane’s Colloquium in Santiago, Chile 22-25 October, 2019. During this time, many Cochrane contributors submitted abstracts as part of the scientific programme, this year ‘embracing diversity’. We also opened the call for hosts for the second Global Evidence Summit in 2021, a multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural event to exchange ideas about how we best produce, summarize and disseminate evidence to inform policy and practice, and using that evidence to improve people’s lives across the world.
In Q1 2019, we saw the many ways people are using and accessing our health evidence. An international group of researchers found Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews to be the most referenced health-related journal on Wikipedia. The World Health Organization published guidelines for malaria vector control, drawing on seven Cochrane reviews specially prepared for them by the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group. We also started a new online series that collects stories about how Cochrane evidence is being used - from in the workplace, in clinical practice, to in everyday life.
We saw our global reach and impact expanded with the Launch of Cochrane Colombia, Cochrane Ireland, a Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth satellite group established in the United States. Cochrane’s status as a non-governmental organization (NGO) in official relations with the World Health Organization was renewed at WHO’s Executive Board meeting in January2019. We increased our reach with a younger audience, PhD and med students and early-career professionals with the launch of Cochrane on Instagram. We also delivered training with eight news Cochane Learning Live webinars attracting 548 attendees.
Cochrane’s Dashboard presents key metrics on our performance in any quarter including information on Strategy to 2020 organizational Target achievements. We use it as an tool to reflect on our accomplishments on a quarterly basis.
Here’s how we did in Quarter 1, 2019:
