Cochrane reviews in neonatology: Past, present and future
Section snippets
Archibald Cochrane (1909–1988)
Best known as an epidemiologist, Archie Cochrane had several careers preceding the publication of his landmark book Effectiveness and Efficiency – Random Reflections on Health Services. He served in the Royal Army Medical Corps in World War II and was a POW Medical Officer in Greece and Germany. Undermanned and with little equipment or drugs, he was surprised at the low mortality rate in the camps from severe epidemics of typhoid and diphtheria. He realized that the natural defences of the
The present
‘Look not mournfully into the past. It comes not back again. Wisely improve the present. It is thine. Go forth to meet the shadowy future, without fear.’ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
The Cochrane Collaboration was founded in 1993, and the Neonatal Review Group was registered in the same year. The founding editors Jack Sinclair, Michael Bracken, Roger Soll and Jeffrey Horbar are supported by the review group coordinator, Diane Haughton. Four regional coordinators have been added to the review
The future
When you make a mistake, don't look back at it long. Take the reason of the thing into your mind and then look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power. Hugh White (US politician, 1773–1840)
The field of neonatology is comparatively young but one in which important ‘mistakes’ have been made. Response to these mistakes drives the neonatal review group. The mistakes are of two types: first, that exemplified by the oxygen toxicity story
Conclusions
The science of systematic reviews and meta-analysis is young and still rapidly evolving. It is likely that when this period of the Cochrane Library's history is reviewed from a vantage point decades in the future, the methods used now will seem primitive, clumsy, and perhaps in some cases wrong. However, in a relatively short time much has been accomplished in collating and disseminating high-quality evidence relevant to the care of newborn infants. Silverman frequently used the term
Acknowledgements
I thank Jack Sinclair, Diane Haughton and David Henderson-Smart for their helpful reviews of this chapter. Diane Haughton provided the figure and table used.
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Systematic cochrane reviews in neonatology: A critical appraisal
2013, Pediatrics and NeonatologyCitation Excerpt :Undoubtedly, evidence-based medicine (EBM) has contributed substantially to improving the quality of medicine in general, and of neonatology in particular.1
Strategies for Prevention of Apneic Episodes in Preterm Infants: Are Respiratory Stimulants Worth the Risk?
2008, The Newborn Lung: Neonatology Questions and ControversiesThe burden of illness in perinatal and neonatal care: The epidemiologist's role
2006, Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal MedicineCitation Excerpt :Having created the evidence, it needs to be synthesised with the existing literature. The pivotal role of the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) in this regard is amplified in detail in several other contributions to this issue, particularly before24 and after birth.25 However, systematic reviews appear not only in the CDSR but can also be found elsewhere; some may precede appearance in the CDSR, for example prophylactic indomethacin in the first days after birth,26 and others may not be in the CDSR at all.
Evidence-based medicine and Cochrane reviews in neonatology: Quo vadis?
2012, Acta Paediatrica, International Journal of PaediatricsEvidence-based medicine in neonatology: Time to re-think
2008, European Journal of Pediatrics