Every year, approximately 14 million around the world have a stroke, and the Cochrane Stroke Group has produced more than 200 reviews in the last 25 years. In November 2021, they updated the review of information provision for stroke survivors and their carers, and two of the authors, Tom Crocker and Lesley Brown from the Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in the UK discuss the latest findings in this podcast.
The Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility Group had produced approximately 100 reviews relevant to in vitro fertilisation, or IVF and updates these in light of new evidence. The second update of their review of a technique called endometrial scratching was published in June 2021 and, in this podcast, Dr Rob Axe speaks with one of the authors Dr Sarah Armstrong, from the University of Sheffield in the UK about the technique and their latest findings on its effects.
Some new-born babies will suffer from jaundice and there are several Cochrane reviews of possible ways to prevent or treat it. These were added to in July 2021 with a new review of the effects of sunlight. We asked the review's lead author, Delia Horn from the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont in the USA, to tell us about the importance of this topic and the findings of the review.
Over the last year, Cochrane Neuro-Oncology have been publishing a series of new systematic reviews on priority topics for the brain tumour community. These were selected from the most important unanswered questions identified by patients, the public and practitioners. In this podcast, Kathreena Kurian from the University of Bristol in the UK tells us about one of the reviews, which was published in March 2022, looking at the evidence on some of the tests that might help in planning the treatment of patients with a glioma.
Cochrane Stroke has produced more than 70 systematic reviews of pharmacological interventions that might improve the recovery of patients after stroke. In this podcast, co-authors Simiao Wu and Xing Hua, both from the West China Hospital at Sichuan University, in Chengdu, China, talk about the November 2021 update for one of these, which looks at the effects of selective serotonin uptake inhibitors on recovery from stroke.
The single most common, preventable cause of in-hospital death is a hospital-acquired venous thromboembolism; making this an important target for prevention when people are admitted to hospital. An updated Cochrane Review from January 2022 looks at the evidence for one of the possible interventions, which combines anti-coagulant drugs with intermittent pneumatic leg compression to prevent these blood clots. Stavros Kakkos from the University of Patras in Greece tells us more.
Most Cochrane Reviews take their evidence from randomized trials of the effects of healthcare interventions, and these trials need to be efficient and reliable. A challenge for many trials is ensuring that people who agree to join the study are followed up, so that their outcomes are measured. An updated Cochrane Methodology Review from March 2021 looks at research into ways to improve this retention, and our Podcast Editor, Mike Clarke, spoke with lead author, Katie Gillies, from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland about the review in this podcast.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is one of the most common lung conditions and there are several Cochrane reviews of possible treatments. One of these, dealing with integrated disease management, was updated in September 2021 and we asked lead author Charlotte Poot from the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands to tell us about the latest findings.
Blood transfusions are a very common medical procedure, and it’s important to balance the potential benefits and harms. In December 2021, Jeffrey Carson from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, in New Brunswick in the USA, and colleagues updated the Cochrane Review of research comparing different triggers for transfusing red blood cells and we asked him to tell us more about the importance of the review and its findings.
Among the many Cochrane reviews of possible treatments for depression, the one looking at the effects of omega-3 fatty acids was updated in November 2021. Here’s lead author, Katherine Appleton from Bournemouth University in the UK to tell us about the update and the latest evidence.
Alongside the thousands of Cochrane Reviews of the effects of healthcare interventions, there are many that look at how to organise and deliver health care. One of these, on the use of a strategy called “paying for performance” was updated in May 2021. Here's one of the authors, Sophie Witter from Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh in Scotland, to tell us about the strategy and its effectiveness.
Cochrane is producing a series of reviews to help in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among these, our systematic review of interventions for palliative symptom control in people dying of COVID-19 was published in August 2021. In this podcast, Claire Iannizzi speaks with the lead author, Marike Andreas, both from the University Hospital Cologne in Germany, about the review’s findings.
Cochrane has produced several reviews to help decision makers respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2021, we published the first version of a living systematic review on systemic corticosteroids and, in this podcast, the first authors, Mirko Griesel of the University of Leipzig Medical Center and Carina Wagner of the University Hospital in Cologne, Germany, talk about the evidence they’ve found and the potential effects of these drugs.