Cochrane News

What is Cochrane?

6 years 4 months ago

Cochrane exists so that healthcare decisions get better.

Cochrane is a global independent network of researchers, professionals, patients, carers, and people interested in health. Many of our contributors are world leaders in their fields - medicine, health policy, research methodology, or consumer advocacy - and our groups are situated in some of the world's most respected academic and medical institutions.

Cochrane  contributors work together to produce credible, accessible health information that is free from commercial sponsorship and other conflicts of interest. This is vital for us to generate authoritative and reliable information, working freely, unconstrained by commercial and financial interests. We gather and analyze the  best available evidence to help people make informed decisions about health and health care. These are called systematic reviews. Our work is recognized as representing an international gold standard for high quality, trusted information.


The need for Cochrane's work is even greater than it was when we started in 1993. As access to health evidence increases, so do the risks of misinterpreting complex content; meanwhile the likelihood of any one person getting a complete and balanced picture decreases. Our mission to provide accessible, credible information to support informed decision-making has never been more important or useful for improving global health.

Friday, October 7, 2022
Muriah Umoquit

Cochrane Podcasts: Listen to Cochrane evidence in under 5 minutes

7 years 1 month ago

Keeping up with the latest in health evidence made easy!

For over 30 years, Cochrane has been at the forefront of producing healthcare evidence synthesises. We collaborate with experts worldwide to provide authoritative, relevant, and reliable evidence.

In just under 5 minutes, our podcast episodes feature Cochrane review authors simplifying complex findings into plain language. Whether you're a healthcare professional or a patient, you can easily grasp the latest Cochrane evidence and gain the confidence to make informed decisions.

Explore our extensive podcast library and stay updated by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify. Your source for Cochrane evidence that's easily understood is just a click away.

Tuesday, November 7, 2023
Muriah Umoquit

Clinical Trials Day 2023

7 years 10 months ago

Clinical Trials Day is celebrated on 20 May marking the day in 1747 on which James Lind is believed to have begun the first known controlled trial, comparing different treatments for scurvy which was common among sailors in the British Royal Navy. Watch a video explaining the trial to see history in the making.

Learn about Cochrane systematic reviews and how clinical trials are used:


Advocacy on clinical trial transparency

Registering and reporting the results of clinical trials is an ethical, and often legal, responsibility. However, it is well documented that the results of many studies are never published. This contributes to research waste and can even lead to people being harmed.  Cochrane’s community is active in campaigning for improved clinical trial transparency.

During the last 12 months, there have been major milestones in this area. At last year’s World Health Assembly, WHO Member States adopted a resolution on clinical trials which references transparency obligations. As well as demonstrating high-level political support for the importance of robust, transparent clinical trial practices, the resolution has spearheaded a number of activities as part of its implementation.

In addition, the UK Government recently announced new stricter legislation formalising the requirements to register and report on clinical trials in a timely manner. This is in line with our long-term advocacy recommendations.

However, there is still much more to be done in this area.

Cochrane’s systematic reviews rely upon the results of clinical trials. To assess the effectiveness and safety of healthcare interventions, we need to know what trials were done, how they were conducted and what their findings were. Without access to detailed information from all clinical trials, we cannot have a full picture of the evidence.

"While it is heartening to have seen some significant improvements in clinical trial transparency in recent years, there is still much more to be done worldwide," says Emma Thompson, Cochrane Advocacy and Partnership Lead."Cochrane will continue to push for the fulfilment of this key ethical, and often legal, responsibility."

Cochrane's clinical trial transparency advocacy:  Cochrane Library systematic reviews of interest: 

 

Friday, May 19, 2023
Muriah Umoquit

Updated review: Insufficient evidence for use of Omega-3 supplements in treating depression

8 years 4 months ago

Updated Cochrane research concludes that there is insufficient evidence for the use of Omega-3 fatty acid supplements in treating major depressive disorder.

Omega-3 fatty acids are widely thought to be essential for good health and are naturally found in fatty fish such as mackerel; other seafood; and some nuts and seeds.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been widely promoted globally for a variety of health concerns, and are readily available as an over-the-counter supplement. These supplements have hugely increased in popularity over the last decade, together with a range of other supplements including ginseng, garlic, green tea, vitamins, minerals, and herbal products.

There have been various studies that have suggested a role for Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in treating major depressive disorder. Adults with major depressive disorders are characterized by depressed mood or a lack of pleasure in previously enjoyed activities for at least two weeks, in the absence of any physical cause, that impact on everyday life.

Figures published in 2018 estimated prevalence rates for major depressive disorders of 163 million cases in 2017, and global incidence rates of 242 million cases, resulting in 33 million years lived with disability globally, an increase of 12.6% since 2007.


This updated Cochrane Review, published recently in the Cochrane Library, gathered together data from 28 randomized trials involving a total of 1944 participants. The trials investigated the impact of giving an Omega-3 fatty acid supplement in a capsule form and compared it to a dummy pill. In one study, involving 40 participants, researchers also investigated the impact of the same supplementation compared to an anti-depressant treatment.

The Cochrane authors found that, whilst people who were given Omega-3 fatty acids reported lower symptom scores than people with the dummy pill, the effect was small and there were important limitations that undermined their confidence in the results. Their analyses showed that although similar numbers of people experienced side effects, more data would be required to understand the risks of taking Omega-3 fatty acids.



Lead author Katherine Appleton from Bournemouth University said, “This is an update of an existing Cochrane Review, using the same methods as we previously used, with some refinements. The update includes 8 randomised controlled trials published since 2015, in addition to the 20 trials included in the previous review.

Our conclusions however remain unchanged. We found a small-to-modest positive effect of Omega-3 fatty acids compared to placebo for depressive symptomology, but the size of this effect is unlikely to be meaningful to people with depression, and we considered the evidence on which this conclusion was based to be of low or very low quality. All studies contributing to our analyses were of direct relevance to our research question, but most of these studies are small and of low quality. We also found insufficient evidence to clearly determine the effects of omega-3 oils on negative side effects or when compared with anti-depressants.”

She added, “At present, we just don’t have enough high-quality evidence to determine the effects of Omega-3 fatty acids as a treatment for major depressive disorder. It’s important that people who suffer from depression are aware of this, so that they can make more informed choices about treatment.”

 

Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Nancy Owens
Checked
8 hours 34 minutes ago
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