Topics are selected to cover common or important clinical conditions seen in primary care or ambulatory settings. Questions are selected for their relevance to clinical practice by leading physicians in conjunction with other practicing physicians and patient groups. The U.S. National Institutes of Health , through its National Library of Medicine , has developed ClinicalTrials.gov to provide patients, family members and members of the public current information about clinical research studies. New reviews are added with each issue of The Cochrane Library . Cochrane reviews are reviews mainly of randomised controlled trials.
Evidence is included or excluded on the basis of explicit quality criteria to minimise bias.
Data are often combined statistically, with meta-analysis, to increase the power of the findings of numerous studies each too small to produce reliable results individually. Although the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews is available on subscription only, the Abstracts of Cochrane Reviews are available without charge and can be browsed or searched . The Cochrane Library is a quarterly updated electronic database containing systematic reviews and other information that will assist in making diagnostic, treatment and other health care decisions. It is the most comprehensive source of references for those with an interest in evidence-based health care. This facility from Update Software allows you to search the abstracts of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.