The agenda and open access papers for the Cochrane Governing Board teleconference on April 29th are now available to view online, for information only.

Cochrane's governing body is the Governing Board. The Board is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of Cochrane’s strategic direction.  If you would like to comment on an item you can contact the Board: support@cochrane.org

Are you interested in helping to shape Cochrane evidence related to COVID-19, and to help make it accessible to the public? We are forming a group of patients and carers who are able to take on tasks at short notice to help contribute to Cochrane’s rapid review work, and more.

Cochrane responds to the COVID-19

As part of our response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Cochrane will be working on reviews of evidence in the weeks and months ahead. Many of these reviews are carried out very quickly and aim to answer questions submitted by users of our evidence, including policymakers, to help them make decisions.

You can read more about how Cochrane is responding to the pandemic, including through rapid reviews, here.

Consumer (patient and carer) involvement in rapid reviews

We are keen to have consumer (patient and carer) involvement in these rapid reviews. As these reviews are done very quickly, everyone’s help needs to be organized in a focused and timely way. In order to best facilitate patient and carer involvement in these reviews, we would like to recruit consumers to be a part of a COVID-19 consumer rapid response group.

Who can be involved in the rapid response group?

We are particularly looking for people who have experience of helping with Cochrane reviews, and who are one or more of the following:

• People at high risk of COVID-19 infection (e.g. such as immunosuppressed, people living in high risk areas, people working with sick persons)
• People who are ill or have recovered from COVID-19 
• People who have experience caring for someone with COVID-19 as an informal caregiver
• Family members and/or co-habitants of people who experienced COVID-19
• People with lived experience of other conditions (e.g. mental health, cancer) that are influenced by COVID-19
• People who do not have direct lived experience related to COVID-19 but are interested in contributing to reviews and guidelines 
• Experienced consumers who could support new consumers

How might I contribute?

Tasks that you might be asked to undertake as part of this group include:

• Helping to choose important questions for future research
• Helping to define the research question
• Working as part of an author team throughout a review
• Helping to think about the implications of a review for consumers
• Commenting as a consumer peer reviewer
• Helping with turning the research into accessible information for consumers
• Helping to make sure this information reaches other consumers

What volunteers can expect

We will offer members of the group access to training, support and other resources where needed, so that they are ready to contribute to these rapid reviews.

Members of the group will need to respond to reviews at very short notice. Members will be offered access to learning, support, and other resources where needed, so that they are ready to contribute to these rapid reviews. We will continuously evaluate the initiative, implementing changes as needed in response to feedback from consumers and review teams.

How to get in touch

If you think you may be able to help, please let us know that you are interested by:

• Following this link and completing the details in the online form)

AND

• Registering as a member of the Cochrane Consumer Network and joining our mailing list (if you haven’t already done this) so that we can keep in touch with you

What happens next

We are now creating the resources you will need to support this work.  The situation is rapidly changing so please be patient. We will respond to you as soon as we can.

And finally

Thank you for your interest. If you have urgent questions, please email consumers@cochrane.org.

The NIHR Complex Reviews Unit (CRSU) has offered to provide advice and analytical support for COVID-19 related evidence synthesis, in whatever way Cochrane authors consider appropriate, including support for Rapid Reviews and Living Systematic Reviews.

Expertise within the CRSU include:

• Diagnostic test accuracy  reviews
• Network meta-analysis
• Individual participant data/clinical study report meta-analysis
• Economic evaluation
• Realist synthesis
• Narrative Synthesis
• Use of routine data
• Non-randomised studies
• Prognostic reviews
• Prevalence reviews
• Causal pathway analysis

The service is free to use and open to everyone working on COVID-19 related work, regardless of where they are located.

Please contact the CRSU Project Manager Moira Sim (moira.sim@glasgow.ac.uk) or Director, Olivia Wu (olivia.wu@glasgow.ac.uk). They will respond to your email within 2 working days and can set up support arrangements within one week.

• Visit the NIHR Complex Reviews Unit website

The agenda and open access papers for the Cochrane Governing Board teleconference on 30-31 March and 1st of April  are now available to view online, for information only.

Cochrane's governing body is the Governing Board. The Board is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of Cochrane’s strategic direction. If you would like to comment on an item you can contact the Board: support@cochrane.org

Our much anticipated updates to Cochrane Crowd were launched earlier this week with great fanfare and an extraordinary amount of celebratory tea!

These updates were closely informed by the user research project we ran last year, where we asked for suggestions and feedback from you, the Cochrane Crowd community. We were touched by all the thoughtful feedback and hope you are as excited and happy about the updates as we are.

Read on for an overview of our top five updates, scroll down for a virtual tour of the updates with Anna, and then sign up for a live demo and Q+A session. We're running two sessions in March - pick the one that suits your timezone.

Happy screening!

Anna and Emily

Take a 10 minute tour of Cochrane Crowd version 2 with Anne Noel-Storr, Cochrane Crowd Lead

Join us for a live Q&A

Contact us

Have any questions, feedback or suggestions for Cochrane Crowd? Contact Emily on crowd@cochrane.org. We look forward to hearing from you!

Cochrane’s work in India has been capably led for many years by the Cochrane South Asia Centre, based at the Prof Bhoosham V Moses Centre for Evidence- Informed Healthcare and Health Policy at Christian Medical College, Vellore. Following the closure of Cochrane South Asia in 2019, we have an opportunity to launch a new chapter in Cochrane’s activities in India by establishing a new, open, collaborative Network.

A consultative meeting was held in Delhi in February 2020, involving institutions and people that are actively involved in evidence-informed health care in India. The meeting participants identified opportunities and challenges for Cochrane in India, and agreed that the development of an India wide Network would indeed be a good way forward to strengthen evidence-informed health care and decision making in India. Participants emphasised the need for the Network to be open and inclusive and truly collaborative. The overall themes emerging and relevant to address through a Cochrane India Network evolved around knowledge translation and training. In addition, participants mentioned the opportunity for holding Network events – meetings, awareness raising events or trainings.

The aim of this current Call for Expressions of Interest is to invite India based institutions to indicate their interest to join the Cochrane India Network as a Cochrane Affiliate. This will be a two-step process:

1. Submitting an expression of interest (this current open call);
2. Following review of the expressions of interest received and on invitation: Preparing a full application and strategic plan outlining the detailed contribution of an institution to the Cochrane India Network.

• The deadline for submitting an Expression of Interest is June 30, 2020
• For more information please download: Call for Expressions of Interest to join the Cochrane India Network
• For further information or questions, please contact Sylvia de Haan

Chris Brennan-Jones gives an overview of how working on a suite of Cochrane reviews on chronic suppurative otitis media has led to a deeper partnership with WHO on a range of initiatives that focus on the prevention of deafness and hearing loss.

Could you give a quick introduction to yourself and your work within Cochrane?

"I am the Head of the Ear Health research team within the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases at the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth, Western Australia, as well as a paediatric audiologist at Perth Children’s Hospital. In 2015 I did a short sabbatical with Professors Martin Burton and Anne Schilder at the Cochrane ENT group in Oxford, UK. This ended up leading to the development of a suite of seven Cochrane reviews examining interventions for chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM, otherwise known as chronic discharging ears). We are now beginning to publish these reviews. I also co-ordinate a regular “Cochrane Corner” for the International Journal of Audiology.

How are you working with WHO?

I am a member of WHO’s World Hearing Forum and am involved in the working group for the World Report on Hearing (due to be released in May 2020). The World Report on Hearing has been developed in response to the 2017 World Health Assembly resolution on the prevention of deafness and hearing loss (WHA70.13). This resolution called for WHO to prepare a report on the state of hearing health globally, based on the best-available scientific evidence. CSOM is one of the leading preventable causes of hearing loss and, as we were in the process of conducting reviews of the effectiveness of available treatments globally, there was potential for the findings of these to shape the report, and any new treatment strategies that may developed in response to it.

How are Cochrane Reviews informing this work?

The suite of Cochrane reviews we have been working on initially started with an extensive scoping, consultation and prioritisation process. As part of this process we got in contact with Dr Shelly Chadha from the WHO Prevention of Deafness programme. Dr Chadha and the WHO team actively contributed to the scoping and prioritisation for our reviews. They provided a valuable global perspective, and encouraged greater engagement in their activities to ensure the knowledge gained from our reviews will be translated effectively. This led to our involvement in the WHO’s World Hearing Forum and contribution to the World Report of Hearing working group. Cochrane reviews in general – but particularly a suite of related reviews – can be an excellent tool for informing evidence-based strategies such as this.

You recently attended the World Hearing Forum, hosted by WHO. Could you tell us about this meeting?

The WHO World Hearing Forum had its inaugural meeting of over 130 stakeholders from around the world in December 2019 to provide a unified approach to the prevention and effective treatment of deafness and hearing loss. In addition to the World Hearing Report, there was also a focus on promoting the Make Listening Safe global public health initiative; World Hearing Day (which occurs on 3 March every year); and other initiatives to promote effective resource utilisation for treatment and preventative care of ear disease and hearing loss, particularly in resource-limited settings throughout the world.

What advice would you give to members of the Cochrane community interested in getting involved in WHO work?

Get in touch! If you are working on a topic that you think aligns to the strategic objectives of a WHO department initiative, tell them about it. As a first step, you can contact Emma Thompson, Cochrane's Advocacy and Partnership Officer: ethompson@cochrane.org. 

CSOM reviews published to date:

• Topical antibiotics for chronic suppurative otitis media
• Topical antiseptics for chronic suppurative otitis media
• Antibiotics versus topical antiseptics for chronic suppurative otitis media

Read more about Cochrane ENT

On behalf of everyone within the Cochrane community, we are sad to learn of the death of Eivind Berge. Eivind played a substantial role in Cochrane Stroke and will be remembered dearly by the community. 

On 6th February 2020 we lost our good friend and Cochrane Stroke colleague, Eivind Berge.  Eivind was Consultant Cardiologist at the Department of Internal Medicine at Oslo University Hospital who had a special interest in stroke.  He developed an impressive research portfolio covering thrombolysis, blood pressure management, and the management of intracerebral haemorrhage.  He played a pivotal role in developing evidence-based practice and guideline initiatives in his native Norway but also extended his influence more widely through the European Stroke Organisation.

Eivind became a member of the Cochrane Stroke Editorial Board in January 2004 and served a long and productive term of office including both conventional editorial duties and also serving as the Feedback Editor from June 2008.  Throughout these years he always remained a quiet and enthusiastic supporter of Cochrane and his enthusiasm to promote evidence-based practice seemed to infuse all his activities.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Eivind’s long and productive career is the many traditional virtues that he brought to his work: wisdom, respect, fairness, and a quiet determination.  He would always listen to a point of view and respond in a cheerful, modest, thoughtful and respectful manner.  He was such a good and faithful friend to Cochrane Stroke, and we will all miss him dearly.