Cochrane

Today is #WorldHealthDay, and this year’s focus is maternal and newborn health. Despite advances, nearly 300,000 women die each year from childbirth-related complications, most in low-resource settings. As one of the four strategic pillars in the #ScientificStrategy, we are assessing strategies aimed at: ➡️ Preventing illnesses and deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth ➡️ Enhancing prevention and treatment for diseases in babies and children ➡️ Helping improve sexual health and fertility services Strengthening maternal, newborn, and child health systems through evidence-based interventions is critical to achieving global health goals and ensuring #HealthForAll. Read more about what we are doing in this area: https://buff.ly/wcd7Qfv #MaternalHealth #ChildHealth #NewbornHealth #EvidenceBasedMedicine #MCNH

Cochrane is proud to be part of the Evidence Synthesis Infrastructure Collaborative (ESIC), an initiative supported by the Wellcome Trust. ESIC is working to build a truly global evidence synthesis community. #ESIC unites diverse perspectives to tackle global challenges with living evidence, transforming how evidence is produced, shared, and used across sectors and geographies. With real-time updates to evidence syntheses, we deliver living evidence to drive impactful change in education, social justice, health, and the environment. #ESIC embraces geographic diversity, prioritising equitable governance and participation across its global infrastructure to achieve equitable access to living evidence and capacity to action it. In this way we accelerate progress towards the UN’s #SDGs. We have a once in a generation chance for a global step change in evidence synthesis. It is time to make evidence synthesis radically better for the people who need it. Follow us to learn how you can get involved. Your input is crucial in shaping the future of #ESIC. Learn more here: https://buff.ly/Qtvvv9g Next open consultation round starts 30 April 2025.

👀 Looking for trusted healthcare evidence? Join our next free live training session to learn more about how to start searching and using The Cochrane Library - THE place to find the most up-to-date evidence-based systematic reviews, trials and clinical answers. 📆 8 April ⏰ 11.00am BST | 4.00pm BST Register now ➡️https://buff.ly/6xeqtuw #MedLib #MedEd #MedResearch #Cochrane #EvidenceBasedMedicine #HealthResearch #Webinar #CochraneLibrary

What are the benefits and risks of stem cell injections for knee osteoarthritis? Knee osteoarthritis affects over 365 million people worldwide and places a huge financial burden on healthcare systems. With no cure, researchers are exploring new treatments, including stem cell injections, which in theory, could help regrow damaged cartilage. 📊 This new #CochraneReview found 25 studies (1341 participants), including 8 studies (459 participants) that compared stem cell injection into the knee with a placebo injection. Key messages: 🔹Stem cell injection may slightly improve pain and function compared to placebo. 🔹It’s unclear if they slow disease progression, improve quality of life, or increase treatment success. 🔹Safety remains uncertain - more research is needed. This 'living review' will be updated quarterly as new evidence emerges, providing continuously updates as clinical trials now under way publish their results. 💡 Learn more in the full #CochraneReview and #PlainLanguageSummary in the #CochraneLibrary. 📖 Read the full review: https://buff.ly/Io8Dlnh #ResearchAnalysis #ComparativeEffectiveness #PrecisionMedicine #osteoarthritis. #PatientInformation #KneeOA #MedicalInnovation #ResearchMethods #ArthritisResearch #GlobalHealth #HealthEconomics #ChronicPainManagement

Last week's #N4GParis Summit highlighted the vital importance of nutrition for human health and wellbeing. Malnutrition, especially among mothers and children, remains a major global health issue and a devastating reality for millions of women and children across the world. At Cochrane, we recognize the crucial role of nutrition in improving health outcomes and have a dedicated Nutrition and Physical Activity group who use evidence synthesis to address important questions: https://lnkd.in/gEJ9KT8R 💡 Evidence synthesis helps us to better understand the links between nutrition and specific health outcomes, and to determine the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving nutrition and health. By combining and comparing multiple studies using sophisticated statistical methods, we can offer more reliable answers to key questions as well as identifying gaps for future research to focus on. Our research consistently shows that nutrition is a cornerstone of good health. 🦠 A recent Cochrane review identified undernutrition as a major risk factor for developing tuberculosis, roughly doubling the risk of developing the disease: https://lnkd.in/gFnNNzca 📋 A review of growth monitoring and promotion for young children in low- and middle-income countries found limited benefits to monitoring, and emphasized the importance of robust food and health systems: https://lnkd.in/g7-CQFcf 🤰 A review of iron supplementation during pregnancy found that it reduced anaemia, but we need more research on the wider health impacts for mother and baby: https://lnkd.in/gGFpkSd5 We welcome the commitments made at #N4GParis and the leadership of Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement in galvanizing efforts to turn these commitments into action. We believe that evidence synthesis has an important role to play, helping to ensure that interventions are effective, well-targeted and meaningfully improve people's lives. #N4G2025 #Nutrition4Growth

Cochrane India are proud partners of the World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2025 in New Delhi, 25-27 April. Join our experts at the Summit to discuss how to tackle pressing global health issues, including a keynote on improving neonatal health across India. Cochrane India has contributed significantly to the programme, hosting four workshops and seven panel discussions in addition to the keynote. Many sessions focus on maternal, newborn and child health, a vital area of global health and a cornerstone of Cochrane's Scientific Strategy. You can view the full programme and register on the World Health Summit website: https://lnkd.in/enutRX2h https://lnkd.in/eBUsDdCp

What are the likely benefits and harms of non‐medicine and non‐surgical treatments for non‐specific low back pain? Low back pain is a common health condition that can be associated with disability and poor quality of life. Access to high-quality, reliable information on the benefits and safety of non-drug and non-surgical treatments is essential for better pain management. This #SystematicReview analysed 31 reviews that included 644 studies with 97,183 participants. The studies investigated the effects of 27 different types of treatment for low back pain. 📌 Key messages For acute low back pain (lasting less than 6 weeks): 🔹 Staying active is probably more effective than resting in bed. For subacute low back pain (lasting 6 to 12 weeks): 🔹 Multidisciplinary therapies probably reduce pain. 🔹 Spinal manipulation probably does not improve function. For chronic low back pain (lasting more than 12 weeks): 🔹 Acupuncture, multidisciplinary therapy, and exercise therapies probably reduce pain and improve function. 🔹 Traction probably does not reduce pain compared to sham traction. 🔹 Psychological therapies probably reduce pain but may not improve function compared to usual care. 📖 Read the #CochraneReview and #PlainLanguageSummary in the #CochraneLibrary: https://buff.ly/sOcBfgM #BackPain #LowBackPain #PainManagement #HealthResearch #EvidenceBasedMedicine #PhysicalTherapy #ChronicPain #AcutePain #SpinalHealth #Rehabilitation #PublicHealth #Healthcare #MedicalResearch

Can audit & feedback improve healthcare? 🩺 Audit and feedback (A&F) in healthcare is when a health professional's performance is evaluated and compared to professional standards (audit). Then the health professionals are given the results of the comparison (feedback), with the hope that it might help them improve their performance. This #SystematicReview examined a total of 292 studies, most of which targeted prescribing (47%) and test-ordering (35%). A majority featured multifaceted interventions, often combining A&F with clinician education (56%) and reminders (15%). 🔹 A&F helps improve performance a little to a moderate amount - but how you design and deliver it matters. 🔹 Co‐interventions (such as reminders and extra training) can enhance effectiveness. 🔹 Future research should explore ways to optimize A&F. 💡 Learn more in the full #CochraneReview and #PlainLanguageSummary in the #CochraneLibrary. 🔗 Read the full review: https://buff.ly/c87QLbi #Healthcare #AuditAndFeedback #EvidenceBasedMedicine #QualityImprovement #HealthResearch

Want to learn what's new in The Cochrane Library? Join Rachel Craven, Head of the Cochrane Library, to discover the latest features and tips for finding the trusted #Evidence you need. 📆 When? 31 March, 10am EST 📲 Save your space now: https://buff.ly/zYWMvWs #EvidenceBasedMedicine #MedLibs #Cochrane

Can genetic testing help guide treatment for advanced cancer? A new #CochraneReview explores whether matched targeted therapies based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) testing offer better outcomes for people with advanced cancer. The review analysed 37 studies with nearly 10,000 people to understand the impact of these treatments. Key findings: 🔹 Matched targeted therapies—alone or with standard treatments—helped control disease for longer. 🔹 However, evidence on whether they improve overall survival remains unclear. 🔹 Early genetic testing is recommended to help guide treatment decisions, but potential side effects must be carefully managed. 💡 Learn more in the full #CochraneReview and #PlainLanguageSummary in the #CochraneLibrary. 📖 Read the full review: https://buff.ly/TPx2QWh #CancerResearch #TargetedTherapy #GeneticTesting #CochraneLibrary