Among the various types of studies that abound, a good quality systematic review can provide the strongest evidence on health interventions. Systematic reviews summarize scientific evidence in a predefined, explicit, reproducible manner. The methodology of a systematic review reduces bias and leads to more reliable results and conclusions. Individual randomized controlled trials on a particular topic can be brought together after being systematically searched for, after which these are appraised, analyzed, and summarized. Systematic reviews thus provide researchers, policy-makers, and health providers with more reliable estimates of health interventions compared to traditional narrative reviews.

Among the systematic reviews being produced, the Cochrane systematic review is considered a sort of ‘gold standard’ by many researchers and top medical journals because of its methodological rigour and standardized, structured reporting. In existence since 1993, the Cochrane Collaboration is the largest, not-for-profit organisation in the world engaged in the production and maintenance of systematic reviews. The Collaboration aims to help people make well-informed decisions by preparing, maintaining and promoting the accessibility of systematic reviews of the effects of interventions in all areas of health care. The reviews involve consumers as authors or peer reviewers so that the studies achieve relevance to end-users such as patients and the public in general.

Cochrane reviews are widely used in health policy documents and treatment guidelines around the world. The Collaboration disseminates its reviews and other evidence-based databases through the Cochrane Library.

At present, only around 11% of the Cochrane review authors are from developing countries. We need more participation from developing country researchers so that our health interests can be represented in the Cochrane reviews. We need our local randomized controlled trials to reach the international scientific community through the Cochrane Specialized Registers. Filipino researchers and consumers need to learn how to conduct Cochrane systematic reviews and apply this skill in the development of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and health policies.

Our partners in the Cochrane systematic review workshops

UK Cochrane Centre

The UK Cochrane Centre was established in 1992 by the National Health Service to facilitate and co-ordinate the preparation and maintenance of systematic reviews of randomized controlled trials of health care. The UK Cochrane Centre is based in Oxford, England and is now one of 12 Centres around the world that provide the infrastructure for coordinating the Cochrane Collaboration. Mike Clark is the current Director of the UK Cochrane Centre and Phil Wiffen is its Training Director.

The Australasian Cochrane Centre and the South East Asia Optimising Reproductive and Child Health in Developing Countries (SEA-ORCHID) project

The Australasian Cochrane Centre coordinates with review authors in the Asia-Pacific region. It is based in Melbourne as part of the Monash Institute of Health Services Research and is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. Sally Green is the Centre Director and Steve McDonald is the Deputy Director.

One of the Australasian Cochrane Centre’s major research activities is the SEA-ORCHID project. This collaborative project aims to improve the clinical practice of treating pregnancy and childbirth related disorders and enhance the health outcomes of mothers and infants in Southeast Asia. To achieve this aim, the project is establishing a network of researchers and teachers of evidence-based health care across four South East Asian countries. SEA-ORCHID thus supports systematic review workshops and Cochrane review authors. The local SEA-ORCHID project investigator is Dr. Mario Festin of the Philippine General Hospital.