Cochrane Library
Encyclopedia
The Cochrane Library is a collection of database
s in medicine
and other healthcare
specialties provided by the Cochrane Collaboration
and other organisations. At its core is the collection of Cochrane Reviews, a database of systematic review
s 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
.
system. In many countries, including Canada
, the United Kingdom
, Ireland
, the Scandinavia
n countries, New Zealand
, Australia
, India
, South Africa
, and Poland
, it has been made available free to all residents by "national provision". There are also arrangements for free access in much of Latin America
and in "low-income countries", typically via HINARI
. All countries have free access to two-page abstracts of all Cochrane Reviews and to short plain-language summaries of selected articles.
Cochrane Reviews appear to be relatively underused in the United States, presumably because public access is limited (the state of Wyoming
is an exception, having arranged for free Cochrane materials access).
The Cochrane Reviews, CENTRAL, Methodology Reviews and Methodology Register are produced by the Cochrane Collaboration. DARE, HTA and NHS EED are compiled and maintained by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination
.
, PubMed
and EMBASE
; a continually updated database of trials called the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); hand searching, where researchers look through entire libraries of scientific journals by hand and; reference checking of obtained articles in order to identify studies that are relevant to the question they are attempting to answer.
The quality of each study is carefully assessed using predefined criteria and evidence of weak methodology or the possibility that a study may have been affected by bias is reported in the review.
Cochrane Researchers then apply statistical analysis to compare the data of the trials. This creates a review of studies, or systematic review
, which gives the final word on the efficacy of a particular medical intervention. The result often shows a lack of evidence for a particular treatment one way or the other, recommending additional medical studies before doctors and pharmacists prescribe a particular intervention.
Finished reviews are available as a full report with diagrams, in condensed form or as a plain language summary, in order to provide for every reader of the review.
publication, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews has a 2010 impact factor
of 6.186, ranking it 10th among 151 journals in the category "Medicine, General & Internal".
Database
A database is an organized collection of data for one or more purposes, usually in digital form. The data are typically organized to model relevant aspects of reality , in a way that supports processes requiring this information...
s in medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
and other healthcare
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
specialties provided by the Cochrane Collaboration
Cochrane Collaboration
The Cochrane Collaboration is a group of over 28,000 volunteers in more than 100 countries who review the effects of health care interventions tested in biomedical randomized controlled trials. A few more recent reviews have also studied the results of non-randomized, observational studies...
and other organisations. At its core is the collection of Cochrane Reviews, a database of systematic review
Systematic review
A systematic review is a literature review focused on a research question that tries to identify, appraise, select and synthesize all high quality research evidence relevant to that question. Systematic reviews of high-quality randomized controlled trials are crucial to evidence-based medicine...
s and meta-analyses
Meta-analysis
In statistics, a meta-analysis combines the results of several studies that address a set of related research hypotheses. In its simplest form, this is normally by identification of a common measure of effect size, for which a weighted average might be the output of a meta-analyses. Here the...
which summarize and interpret the results of medical research. The Cochrane Library aims to make the results of well-conducted controlled trials
Clinical trial
Clinical trials are a set of procedures in medical research and drug development that are conducted to allow safety and efficacy data to be collected for health interventions...
readily available and is a key resource in evidence-based medicine
Evidence-based medicine
Evidence-based medicine or evidence-based practice aims to apply the best available evidence gained from the scientific method to clinical decision making. It seeks to assess the strength of evidence of the risks and benefits of treatments and diagnostic tests...
.
Access and use
The Cochrane Library is a subscription-based database, originally published by Update Software and now part of the Wiley OnlineJohn Wiley & Sons
John Wiley & Sons, Inc., also referred to as Wiley, is a global publishing company that specializes in academic publishing and markets its products to professionals and consumers, students and instructors in higher education, and researchers and practitioners in scientific, technical, medical, and...
system. In many countries, including Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n countries, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, it has been made available free to all residents by "national provision". There are also arrangements for free access in much of Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
and in "low-income countries", typically via HINARI
HINARI
HINARI is the Health InterNetwork Access to Research Initiative. It was set up by the World Health Organization and major publishers to enable developing countries to access collections of biomedical and health literature. There are over 7000 journal titles available to health institutions in 109...
. All countries have free access to two-page abstracts of all Cochrane Reviews and to short plain-language summaries of selected articles.
Cochrane Reviews appear to be relatively underused in the United States, presumably because public access is limited (the state of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
is an exception, having arranged for free Cochrane materials access).
Contents
The Cochrane Library consists of the following databases:- The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Cochrane Reviews). Contains all the peer-reviewed systematic reviews and protocols prepared by the Cochrane Review Groups.
- The Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE). Contains quality-assessed abstracts of systematic reviews, including a summary of the review and a critical commentary of its overally quality.
- The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). Contains details of published articles taken from bibliographic databases (notable MEDLINE and EMBASE), and other published and unpublished sources.
- The Cochrane Methodology Register (Methodology Register). Is a bibliography of publications that report on methods used in the conduct of controlled trials.
- Health Technology Assessment Database (HTA). Brings together details of completed and ongoing health technology assessments (studies of the medical, social, ethical and economic implications of healthcare interventions) from around the world.
- NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED). This database systematically identifies economic evaluations from around the world, appraises their quality, and highlights their relative strengths and weaknesses.
The Cochrane Reviews, CENTRAL, Methodology Reviews and Methodology Register are produced by the Cochrane Collaboration. DARE, HTA and NHS EED are compiled and maintained by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination
Centre for Reviews and Dissemination
The Centre for Reviews and Dissemination is a health services research centre based at the University of York, England. CRD was established in January 1994, and aims to provide research-based information for evidence-based medicine...
.
Format
Cochrane Reviews take the format of full-length methodological studies. Cochrane researchers will perform searches of medical databases including MEDLINEMEDLINE
MEDLINE is a bibliographic database of life sciences and biomedical information. It includes bibliographic information for articles from academic journals covering medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and health care...
, PubMed
PubMed
PubMed is a free database accessing primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The United States National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health maintains the database as part of the Entrez information retrieval system...
and EMBASE
EMBASE
Embase is an online information source of published literature designed to supportinformation managers and pharmacovigilance in complying with the regulatoryrequirements of a licensed drug. Through its unique and comprehensive content coverage,...
; a continually updated database of trials called the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); hand searching, where researchers look through entire libraries of scientific journals by hand and; reference checking of obtained articles in order to identify studies that are relevant to the question they are attempting to answer.
The quality of each study is carefully assessed using predefined criteria and evidence of weak methodology or the possibility that a study may have been affected by bias is reported in the review.
Cochrane Researchers then apply statistical analysis to compare the data of the trials. This creates a review of studies, or systematic review
Systematic review
A systematic review is a literature review focused on a research question that tries to identify, appraise, select and synthesize all high quality research evidence relevant to that question. Systematic reviews of high-quality randomized controlled trials are crucial to evidence-based medicine...
, which gives the final word on the efficacy of a particular medical intervention. The result often shows a lack of evidence for a particular treatment one way or the other, recommending additional medical studies before doctors and pharmacists prescribe a particular intervention.
Finished reviews are available as a full report with diagrams, in condensed form or as a plain language summary, in order to provide for every reader of the review.
Impact factor and ranking
In the most recent Journal Citation ReportsJournal Citation Reports
Journal Citation Reports is an annual publication by the Healthcare & Science division of Thomson Reuters. It has been integrated with the Web of Knowledge, by Thomson Reuters, and is accessed from the Web of Science to JCR Web. It provides information about academic journals in the sciences and...
publication, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews has a 2010 impact factor
Impact factor
The impact factor, often abbreviated IF, is a measure reflecting the average number of citations to articles published in science and social science journals. It is frequently used as a proxy for the relative importance of a journal within its field, with journals with higher impact factors deemed...
of 6.186, ranking it 10th among 151 journals in the category "Medicine, General & Internal".