Cochrane reviews with no trials: pointless or pragmatic?

The Cochrane Collaboration is internationally renowned as the leading organization for the production of systematic reviews of healthcare interventions. Since the mid-1990s, Cochrane reviews have become synonymous with randomized controlled trials (RCTs), contributing to the elevation of RCTs as the...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:British Journal of Midwifery Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 8 - 12
Autores principales: Kingdon C, Lavender T
Formato: Journal Article
Publicado: Mark Allen Holdings Limited Jan2008
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:The Cochrane Collaboration is internationally renowned as the leading organization for the production of systematic reviews of healthcare interventions. Since the mid-1990s, Cochrane reviews have become synonymous with randomized controlled trials (RCTs), contributing to the elevation of RCTs as the gold standard for research in healthcare. However, this article demonstrates how the inclusion of non-randomized data in Cochrane Reviews is now up for debate. The Cochrane Review of 'Caesarean section for non-medical reasons at term' is the first from the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group (PCG) to strongly recommend research methods, other than an RCT, to gather future data. Here, two of the review authors assert that Cochrane reviews with no trials may have their place in the work of the PCG.