The cochrane databases of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews in pregnancy, childbirth and neonatal care

Abstract

Information from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and systematic reviews of RCTs provide the strongest evidence about the benefits and harms of healthcare interventions. As such they are the corner stone of evidence-based healthcare and when integrated with the clinicians experience and skill, as well as the patients preferences, can best inform choices about care of individual patients. There are set standards to ensure that RCTs and systematic reviews are of high methodological quality so as to reduce the risk of bias and therefore ensure validity of the conclusions. This information needs to be up to date and available to clinicians in a way that text books and journals cannot be. The Cochrane Collaboration is dedicated to solve this through its electronic publication, the Cochrane Library, which has registers of RCTs and systematic reviews. The stimulus came from Archie Cochrane's challenge, quoted below, which was taken up by Iain Chalmers in the area of perinatal care. For care during pregnancy, childbirth and the neonatal period there are registers with nearly 10 000 RCTs, dating back over 50 years, and over 1000 systematic reviews, to help guide practice. The challenge ahead is to have these in an up to date form and available electronically to help clinicians to incorporate them into their practice, teaching and research.