The Cochrane Collaboration is a not-for-profit independent organisation dedicated to making up-to-date, accurate information about the effects of healthcare interventions readily available worldwide. It produces and disseminates systematic reviews of healthcare interventions in over fifty topic areas and makes them available as The Cochrane Library.
COCHRANE IRELAND: http://ireland.cochrane.org/
In 2002, Ireland became the first country to provide free national access to the Cochrane Library, an initiative co-funded by HSC R&D Division in Northern Ireland and the Health Research Board (HRB) in Ireland.
HSC R&D Division in collaboration with HRB intend jointly to develop Cochrane Ireland as a permanent resource for researchers and users of research evidence on the island of Ireland.
The role of Cochrane Ireland is:
- To promote The Cochrane Collaboration in Ireland
- To serve as a source of information about The Cochrane Collaboration and its outputs
- To highlight and maintain awareness of the benefits of systematic review methodologies and skills among stakeholders across the island of Ireland
- To highlight and maintain awareness of the usefulness of robust evidence provided by the reviews, among health and social care practitioners and policy-makers across the island of Ireland
- To co-ordinate and provide access to information on Cochrane activities on the island of Ireland
- To ensure effective communication between the UK Cochrane Centre (UKCC) and the island of Ireland
- To build upon excellent Cochrane engagement by ensuring participation of the widest range of academic and professional disciplines
Stakeholders include the wider academic community, patients and the public, health professionals and those who commission and pay for health or social care. In sum, it is all on the island of Ireland who can benefit from access to the best quality evidence to underpin practice.
The first phase of funding for Cochrane Ireland (included support for Cochrane courses and Cochrane Fellowships) was completed on 30 September 2017.
A new call for Capacity Building for Evidence Synthesis (CBES) will encompass the second phase of this initiative.
For more details on the Capacity Building for Evidence Synthesis Call 2018 click here.
Cochrane Review Groups
HSC R&D Division also funds the only one of the 53 Cochrane Review Groups to be based in Ireland. The Cochrane Developmental, Psychosocial and Learning Problems Group is chaired by Professor Geraldine MacDonald.
Each Cochrane Review Group focuses on a specific topic area and is led by a Co-ordinating Editor(s) and an editorial team including a Managing Editor and Trials Search Co-ordinator. The Cochrane Review Groups provide authors with methodological and editorial support to prepare Cochrane Reviews, and manage the editorial process, including peer review. Click here to read more about the Cochrane Review Groups.
Also please find a link below to the UKCC Cochrane Annual Reports for your information.
The reports provide some useful information and links for those involved in systematic reviews and health professionals and others seeking access to the most up to date evidence.