The Cochrane Collaboration is an international organisation that aims to help people make well-informed decisions about healthcare by preparing, maintaining and promoting the accessibility of systematic reviews of the effects of healthcare interventions. This sets out the parameters of the research to be undertaken and minimises the chances of bias distorting the findings of the review. Cochrane reviews are updated as new evidence becomes available or in response to post-publication comments.
Systematic reviews contribute to a number of key functions in modern health care.
As evidence-based medicine becomes increasingly widespread, it is likely that any agency wishing to develop clinical practice guidelines will consult the Cochrane Library. A major outcome from the systematic review process is the identification of important gaps in the evidence of clinical effectiveness and to point to priority areas for clinical research. Individual consumers of health care have increasing access to health information and from this can take an active role in decisions about their own health care. The Cochrane Library is published quarterly on CD-ROM and on the Internet, and is available by subscription. In addition to the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Library contains a number of databases relevant to evidence-based medicine, including the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, and the Cochrane Review Methodology Database.