Just in time for the 2019 Cochrane Colloquium, the living systematic review (LSR) support team has revised the guidance for Cochrane living systematic reviews, following evaluation of Cochrane pilot LSRs and wide consultation across the Living Evidence Network. If you’re coming to Santiago, join us at our oral presentation and workshop to find out more. We’d love to see you there!

If you’re new to the world of living evidence, Cochrane LSRs are an approach to keeping Cochrane Reviews continually up-to-date as new evidence emerges.  LSRs are useful for topics that are a high priority for health decision-making, where the evidence base is uncertain and further research is likely.    

If you’re thinking about doing a living systematic review or would like to know more, Cochrane’s LSR support team would love to help. We can provide methods guidance, templates and practical examples, and answer your questions.  Contact us at lsr@cochrane.org

• Learn more about Cochrane's Living Systematic Reviews

Sign-up for the Colloquium schedule
If you are attending the Santiago Colloquium,  login to your Colloquium account, and sign-up for the sessions you want to attend. Create your own personal schedule for the colloquium and then export to Outlook/Google and add personal notes.

Workshops
Please note that most workshops have limited capacity, therefore participants are required to sign up for workshops. You can only sign up for one workshop per time slot, but you can be on the waiting list of a preferred workshop while signed up for another one. You will then receive an email when a spot is available.

Restricted meetings
Meetings are open to all delegates unless marked 'Restricted' to a specific target audience.

Social events
Register and donate today for the Anne Anderson Fundraising Walk – a tour on Santiago’s Cerro San Cristobal, set-up to raise money for the Anne Anderson Prize.

Today, Cochrane publishes an amended version of the Review, 'Exercise therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome.’ In the last nine months, this Cochrane Review has been modified by the review’s authors and evaluated by independent peer reviewers and editors. It now places more emphasis on the limited applicability of the evidence to definitions of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) used in the included studies, the long-term effects of exercise on symptoms of fatigue, and acknowledges the limitations of the evidence about harms that may occur.

Cochrane’s Editor-in-Chief, Dr Karla Soares-Weiser, commented on the publication of the review, “Cochrane recognizes the importance of providing the best available evidence on interventions for ME/CFS to enable patients and clinicians across the world to make well-informed decisions about treatment. This amended review is still based on a research question and a set of methods from 2002, and reflects evidence from studies that applied definitions of ME/CFS from the 1990s. Having heard different views expressed about the evidence base for this condition, we acknowledge that the publication of this amended review will not resolve all the ongoing questions about this globally important health topic.

“We have decided, therefore, that a new approach to the publication of evidence in this area is needed; and, today we are committing to the production of a full update of this Cochrane Review, beginning with a comprehensive review of the protocol, which will be developed in consultation with an independent advisory group that we intend to convene. This group will involve partners from patient-advocacy groups from different parts of the world who will help us to embed a patient-focused, contemporary perspective on the review question, methods and findings.” 

She added, “By forging better relationships with patients, as well as the groups that represent them and the clinicians who seek to treat them, we can improve the way in which future Cochrane Reviews in this area address important questions and meet patients’and clinicians’ needs. I can confirm that work will begin on this new review at the beginning of 2020 and that we will keep patient groups regularly informed of progress during the subsequent months.”

• Read the Review in full
• Find out more about the Cochrane Library

This post was originally published on the Cochrane Methods website on 1 October 2019

We are delighted to announce the launch of the brand-new edition of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (Version 6). After substantive updates since the first published edition by Julian Higgins and Sally Green in 2008, Version 6 is now freely available online via the Cochrane website and in printed book form, which can be purchased from the Wiley website. 

We would not have been able to produce this Handbook without the expertise and commitment of individuals from our Methods Groups and methods community. We would like to thank the team of over one hundred authors, editors and chapter peer reviewers for completing this major piece of work. We especially want to thank the central Handbook editorial team, Senior Scientific Editors Julian Higgins and James Thomas, Associate Scientific Editors Jackie Chandler, Miranda Cumpston, Tianjing Li, Matt Page, Vivian Welch, and Laura Mellor, our Editorial Assistant. 

Overview of the new Handbook

Version 6 has been revised to reflect current best practice in review methodology and includes updated guidance that will be widely applicable. The new edition of the Handbook is divided into four parts: The first part (available only online) addresses issues specific to undertaking systematic reviews within Cochrane; the second part describes the core methods applicable to systematic reviews of interventions, from framing the question through to interpreting the results; the third part provides considerations for tackling systematic reviews from different perspectives, such as when thinking about specific populations, or complex interventions, or particular types of outcomes; and the fourth part covers a range of further topics, including prospective approaches, non-randomised studies and individual participant data.

How can I find out more?

Below we have compiled a list of the key resources and references that complement the launch of the new Handbook:

• The Handbook editors will publish an Editorial in the Cochrane Library.
• Cochrane released a news post announcing the Handbook with quotes from Senior Scientific Editor, Professor Julian Higgins, and Editor in Chief of the Cochrane Library, Dr Karla Soares-Weiser.
• A ‘What’s New’ leaflet has been created to highlight key updates in the new Handbook, and considerations that Cochrane Review Groups may need to take in order to address the methods contained.
• The Methodological Expectations for Cochrane Intervention Reviews (MECIR) has been updated to reflect the new Handbook and introduce new MECIR authors (of the 75 Conduct Standards, only 10 Standards changed in terms of scientific content or recommendations of ‘mandatory’ vs. ‘highly desirable’: C14, C15, C23, C52, C55, C59, C60, C72, C74 and C75).
• Watch the recorded webinar 'Introduction to new Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions (Version 6).'

The 2019 Cochrane Colloquium will be a key avenue for dissemination of the methods detailed in the Handbook. For those attending, the following will be of particular interest:

• 2019 Methods Symposium on Monday 21 October 2019 at 14:00-17:00: This year’s Methods Symposium will examine whether our protocols continue to provide the road map we need to navigate a modern Cochrane review. It will showcase updated material from the new Handbook and will address aspects of pre-specification from diverse methodological perspectives (make sure to register!).
• Cochrane and complex reviews: methodological advances in the new Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions on Thursday 24 October, 14:00-15:30: This Special Session will provide an overview of the new Handbook, followed by presentations drawing on key new chapters, presented by their lead authors.
• Embracing Methodological Diversity (Plenary Session) on Thursday 24 October 2019, 09:00-10:30: This Plenary will showcase how Cochrane is adopting and endorsing increasing methodological diversity within its reviews, and will include a launch announcement for the new Handbook.
• Also look out for the core methods training workshops from the Cochrane Methods Groups.

Requests to translate

With the launch of the new Handbook, we have already begun receiving requests to translate. As part of Cochrane’s multi-lingual commitment and aim to increase capacity and impact in non-English speaking countries, we have begun defining the process for translating Cochrane’s methods guidance. Given the very large size and technically challenging content, the process highlights that translation teams begin by translating the Methodological Expectations for Cochrane Intervention Reviews (MECIR), which are also embedded within the new Handbook. Full details on the process can be found here.

What next?

The previous version of the Handbook sold nine thousand copies and has been cited over 40,000 times (according to Google Scholar), and we know that this version will continue to be the go-to resource for Cochrane review teams and the wider community. 

To facilitate the dissemination of the Handbook, we have developed an implementation plan, which is also being discussed with the Cochrane Review Group (CRG) Networks and other key stakeholders, to ensure review teams have the resources in place to use the guidance in the new Handbook. 

If anyone has any questions or is unsure on any of the aspects of implementation, please contact support@cochrane.org. 

Cochrane is delighted to share this Request for Proposal for a new project to develop and support the monitoring and evaluation work of Cochrane’s Knowledge Translation (KT) activities.

Knowledge Translation in Cochrane is defined as “the process of supporting the use of health evidence from our high quality, trusted Cochrane Reviews by those who need it to make health decisions.” 

Across Cochrane, KT activities are designed and implemented in a way which we hope is most likely to impact on the usefulness, and the use of, our reviews. We know that understanding how to monitor and evaluate knowledge translation work is a topic that has consistently been identified as a priority. As more Cochrane groups develop their KT work, providing support (which may include training, guidance and examples) to develop mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation is imperative so that we can work towards understanding the impact of Cochrane evidence on affecting change in policy and practice.

This new and exciting opportunity is a commissioned piece of work open to anyone within Cochrane’s Community as well as external organizations working in this area. The successful proposal will help develop formal frameworks and mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating Cochrane’s KT activities and to develop training materials and resources to support Cochrane contributors and members build plans for monitoring and evaluating their KT work programmes.

We are looking for a successful project team with the following skills:

• An in-depth understanding of programme theory (logic models and/or theory of change) and monitoring and evaluation framework; and, with the expertise and experience to apply this understanding into practical implementation;
• Experience of working with at least one of the Cochrane’s KT audiences, (consumers and the public; practitioners; policy-makers and healthcare managers; researchers and research funders) to develop both programme theories (logic models and/or theory of change) and developing monitoring and evaluation frameworks based on these with a focus on implementation;

Further details of objectives and deliverables are available in the Request for Proposal.

All applications should be sent via email to Jo Anthony, Head of Knowledge Translation, janthony@cochrane.org by Thursday 31st October 2019, 17:00 GMT.

If you are interested in finding out more, please contact Jo or Karen Head, Cochrane’s Knowledge Translation Project Manager (khead@cochrane.org)

• Review the Request for Proposal
• Find out more about Knowledge Translation in Cochrane
   

The two days prior to the official 2019 Cochrane Colloquium Scientific Program will see some exciting pre-Colloquium events!

Starting off Colloquium festivities on Sunday, October 20, is the Student Satellite Event. Hosted and sponsored by the University of Valparaíso, this Satellite event will feature a wide range of international speakers, including Dr. Gordon Guyatt as keynote speaker. The event will be held at the Health Campus of the University of Valparaíso in Viña del Mar, approx. 100 km from Santiago and next to the UNESCO World Heritage city of Valparaíso.

Several Pre-Colloquium events will be held on Monday, October 21. The all-day #CochraneTech Santiago Symposium will explore the integration of new technology and tools into the systematic review process. A full-day “train the trainers” workshop is geared toward members of the Cochrane Trainers’ Network. Spanish and English versions of a full-day workshop on the GRADE approach and creating Summary of Findings Tables will be held, as well as the full-day GRADE Working Group Meeting. The Methods Group Co-Convener Meeting will be held in the morning, while the 2019 Methods Symposium, titled “Developing robust review protocols with increasingly diverse evidence” will take place in the afternoon. An invitation-only KT Training Workshop on supporting policymakers in the use of synthesized evidence will take place all-day on Monday, as will a Seminar titled “The Kidnapping of Evidence-Based Medicine”, hosted by Chilean organization Médicos Sin Marca. Plans are also underway for Cochrane Consumer satellite event, which will be confirmed soon.

To learn more about these events, including registration, visit the Pre-Colloquium Satellites page here:
https://colloquium2019.cochrane.org/pre-colloquium-satellites-and-meetings

The full Scientific Program of this year’s Colloquium can be found here:
https://colloquium2019.cochrane.org/signup/d/2019-10-22

Don’t forget, there is still time to register for this year’s Colloquium! Standard registration and discounts end on September 26:
https://colloquium2019.cochrane.org/registration-fees

This is a reminder to complete the 2019 financial and resource monitoring of Cochrane Groups by Friday 20th September 2019.

Monitoring of Cochrane Groups takes place annually. The information provided by Groups supports an organization-wide data-gathering exercise that gives a picture of Cochrane’s overall ‘financial health’:

• It enables the Governing Board and Central Executive Team to provide information to the public about who funds Cochrane, the collective monetary cost of the organization’s work, and the number of people involved in Group activities;
• It supports the preparation of statistics about Groups in order to benchmark operations and identify best practice;
• It identifies whether Groups are operating sustainably, highlighting any actual or potential resource issues.

Given its important purpose, all registered Cochrane Groups are required, as a condition of their involvement in the organization, to complete a Financial & Resource Monitoring form for their last complete financial year by Friday 20th September 2019. This includes Affiliates and Satellites.

Access the monitoring form, and more information about the process, on the Cochrane Community website.

You can email the Central Executive Team at monitoring@cochrane.org if you need help or have any questions. A summary of the collated data will be publicly available by early 2020. Specific details about Groups will remain confidential.

With our grateful thanks,

Martin Burton and Catherine Marshall, Co-Chairs of the Governing Board
Mark Wilson, Chief Executive Officer
Karla Soares-Weiser, Editor-in-Chief

Getting involved in Cochrane’s work means becoming part of a global community. Connect with Cochrane Groups across the world through the Cochrane International Mobility programme!

The Cochrane International Mobility programme builds on previous successful student exchanges involving Cochrane Centres around the world. A broader initiative involving twelve Cochrane Groups has now been launched as a pilot by Cochrane People Services Department.

Successful applicants will complete a placement in a host Group, learning more about the production, use and knowledge translation of Cochrane reviews.

Gain skills and experience

Arrangements are flexible and placements can vary in length, depending on the project plan. Placements are typically self-funded. Participants completing postgraduate study have benefitted from university funding, and some Groups can offer work space or accommodation. Training and mentoring support is offered in different areas, specific to Groups' expertise.

Chris Champion, Head of People Services, Cochrane Central Executive, said “This is an exciting opportunity to pilot ways to support community learning and development that makes the most of Cochrane’s network of members across the globe. The programme offers opportunities for people involved in Cochrane - particularly at an early stage in their careers - to benefit from experiences in other contexts. It also encourages networking and skills development across Groups both for those who are visiting and for those supporting them.”

Learn from each other

Cochrane International Mobility offers opportunities for learning and training not only for participants but also for host staff. Cochrane Croatia welcomed a student intern this summer as part of the fledgling programme.

“I’m very grateful to Cochrane Croatia for hosting me and for this wonderful experience, and I’m sure I’ll be using all the skills I learned as I continue on in my academic career,” said Sarah Tanveer, Cochrane International Mobility participant, summer 2019.

Tina Poklepović Peričić, Co-director, Cochrane Croatia added, “This was an encouraging experience for us all, and spending time with Sarah, exchanging experiences, teaching and working with her was a true refreshment to our Centre.”

Apply now

Find out more about the programme on Cochrane Training or search for opportunities on Cochrane Engage.

Cochrane, JBI, Campbell Collaboration and Guidelines International Network are excited to announce the host of the Global Evidence Summit (GES) 2021 is the Czech National Centre for Evidence-Based Healthcare and Knowledge Translation (CEBHCKT).

The Cochrane geographic Centre is a leading national umbrella institution for evidence-based healthcare and guideline development, inclusive of a JBI Centre of Excellence, a Guidelines International Network member and the Masaryk University GRADE Centre.

The Centre was selected after a competitive application process that saw organizations from around the world contest to host the Global Evidence Summit in 2021. Professor Andrea Pokorná, Deputy Director of the Czech National Centre for Evidence-Based Healthcare and Knowledge Translation, is delighted that the Centre will host the Summit:

“Winning the bid to host is a great achievement that will influence the provision of healthcare in Central Europe, particularly in the Czech Republic. I am very proud that Masaryk University and its Centre for Evidence-based Healthcare and Knowledge Translation will be host to the Summit in 2021.”

The Global Evidence Summit 2021 will be held in October at O2 Universum, the brand new Multifunctional Cultural and Congress Centre in beautiful historic Prague and is easily accessible from every city quarter.  Prague is home to one of the most complete ensembles of Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque architecture in Europe.

Director of Cochrane Czech Republic and the Czech National Centre for Evidence-Based Healthcare and Knowledge Translation, Dr Miloslav Klugar, said that by partnering to deliver the Global Evidence Summit the four organizing partners send a message that co-operation and knowledge sharing must be embraced to improve health and the quality of life for people globally: “The Global Evidence Summit 2021 is an exciting opportunity for us here in the Czech Republic, Central Europe and everyone around the world to create synergies and to benefit from knowledge sharing in the global evidence community.”

Deputy Director, Dr Jitka Klugarová, added, “We are very proud that the Global Evidence Summit 2021 will take place in the Czech Republic. It is an amazing opportunity for global stakeholders in healthcare, research, social justice and education to participate in a global discussion about evidence-based practice.”

The GES is a quadrennial event that brings together some of the world’s leading organizations in evidence-based practice in a shared mission to provide a platform to discuss critical issues across different sectors, including health, education, social justice, the environment and climate change. The GES is intended as 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.

Together with the host, the Czech National Centre for Evidence-Based Healthcare and Knowledge Translation, Cochrane, JBI, Campbell Collaboration, and Guidelines International Network intend the second Global Evidence Summit to build on the successes of the 2017 Summit in Cape Town to advance the use of reliable research evidence in addressing some of the world’s most serious health and social challenges.

The call for ‘Expressions of Interest’ to join the Cochrane China Network is now open.

The Cochrane China Network has evolved informally and very successfully over the last year, and Cochrane now intends to formalize the Network’s structure and launch it in February 2020. In preparation for this, it is inviting institutions that are presently involved in the Network to express their interest to join and support the Network as a recognized Cochrane Affiliate.

Although Cochrane is limiting this invitation to institutions already involved in the Cochrane China Network, the Network structure will be an open one, encouraging and welcoming other institutions to join in future.

For more information, please consult the Call for Expressions of Interest.

To express your ‘Expression of Interest’, please complete an:

• Application form
• Strategic plan for an Affiliate
• A signed ‘Conflict of Interest’ statement for the primary leader(s)/contact(s) of the proposed Affiliate
• And include a letter of support from the institution that will host the Cochrane Affiliate. A template letter of support is provided as guidance.

Please send the complete documentation to Sylvia de Haan by 31 October 2019. Applications will be reviewed by 30 November 2019. All institutions will be contacted in December 2019 regarding the outcome of the review process and information regarding next steps.