Posted June 2022

A new chapter for Cochrane

Cochrane has embarked on an important change programme to transform the way we produce high-quality, independent and timely evidence. The new model is designed to ensure Cochrane remains viable, sustainable, and focused on the greatest global health and care challenges now and into the future.
As part of the new model we are implementing a Central Editorial Service to streamline the editorial process. At the same time, from March 2023, Cochrane Review Groups in the UK will no longer receive NIHR funding. If you are an author currently writing a protocol, review, or update, we are working to ensure a smooth transition with minimal impact on your work.
We are very grateful to everyone who has contributed to Cochrane Stroke and very much hope that you will continue to give your time and expertise to Cochrane. We encourage you to look out for further communications about Cochrane's plans for the future and new opportunities to get involved. You can stay connected by:

Following Cochrane on your favourite social media platform
Opting in to Cochrane email communications in your Cochrane Account

Posted December 2021

The document below was issued by Toby Lasserson (Deputy Editor in Chief, Cochrane Library) on 9 December 2021 to be displayed on all Cochrane websites.

Please note: the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) only funds the Cochrane Review Groups based in England. As Cochrane Stroke is based in Scotland, our funding has come from the Chief Scientist Office (CSO), which is part of the Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates, since January 1994, for which we are extremely grateful. The CSO is however following the decision of the NIHR.

TITLE: Future of Evidence Synthesis in Cochrane

In August 2021, Cochrane Review Groups (CRGs) in the UK received confirmation from the UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) informing them about the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) decision to cease all funding at the break-point in the current contract at the end of March 2023.  

Cochrane has benefited for many years from stable and committed funding in the UK, and for this we are extremely grateful to the NIHR and DHSC. We also appreciate the extended notice period that the NIHR has given Cochrane for this contract change, which allows us certainty on funding until that time. 

The world is changing in many ways, and Cochrane’s work is more important than ever. There is much to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic about how our community responded, but we also need to identify new ways to generate income so that we can remain sustainable in the context of increased competition and funding challenges.

Cochrane has therefore launched a programme of transformation for how we develop and publish evidence syntheses, and you can access recordings from a workshop series to explore a proposed new model. This programme aims to ensure that Cochrane can deliver evidence syntheses that:

·         meet the policy and practice priorities of key evidence-users and policy makers across health and social care;

·         are produced in an agile and flexible way, and respond to the evolving and changing needs of key evidence-users and policymakers;

·         deliver the required evidence in a timely manner;

·         are aligned with Cochrane’s Strategy for Change.

An updated plan on Cochrane’s future of evidence synthesis, that considers all information gathered during the consultation phase, will be published in early 2022.

During this period of transition for Cochrane, we would like to reassure all authors and editors involved in the production of Cochrane Reviews that our publication pipeline remains secure. We encourage all prospective authors interested in producing Cochrane Reviews to continue to submit new proposals and expressions of interest in updating reviews.

Cochrane’s current NIHR funding remains in place until the end of March 2023 and we will continue to fulfil our obligations to the funder by continuing to undertake high-quality systematic reviews to inform decision making. We are currently reviewing our pipeline of reviews in development and will be in touch with any authors where changes to existing arrangements for reviews are required. We also appreciate and would like to pass on our grateful thanks for the continued support from our Cochrane Review Group editors during this time of transition.

Cochrane remains a strong and vibrant global community delivering high quality evidence. We are changing to ensure we can continue to do that into the future, responding to key health and care questions and improving health outcomes for all.

Posted December 2021

The way in which Cochrane Stroke and other UK based Cochrane Groups are funded will be changing.  These changes are described here.

Links contained within the document are:

Recording from a workshop series

Strategy for change

Submit new proposals

Posted June 2021/Edited August 2021

Cochrane Stroke has worked with the Stroke Priority Setting Partnership to establish priority areas for research across the stroke care pathway.

Details of this project and the identified priorities for research can be found here here

Full details of the involvement of Cochrane Stroke can be seen on the About Us page.

Posted February 2021

A new video from Professor Sanderock, Emeritus Professor of Neurology, University of Edinburgh, on "Why and How to Read a Cochrane Systematic Review".

Click here to view.

Posted February 2021

A guide to involving consumers (patients and public) in your review, from the Cochrane Consumer Network.

Click here to download.

Posted August 2020

Cochrane Stroke 2019 Impact Factor

The 2019 Journal Impact Factor for the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews has increased to 7.890.

We are pleased to announce also that the individualised Impact Factor for Cochrane Stroke has also increased to  7.657.

Top 10 highest-cited reviews for the Stroke Group were:

Full details can be seen here:  2019 CRG Impact Report for the Stroke Group

Posted July 2020

The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is caused by a strain of coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) first encountered in November 2019, and not previously identified in humans. The virus can cause pneumonia-like symptoms, including fever, cough, and shortness of breath. On March 11 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the current COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic.

View resources relevant to stroke.

Posted March 2020

Stroke Association Priority Setting Partnership

Have your say for stroke research

Are you:

• over 16, living in the UK, and had a stroke?
• a relative or close friend (of any age*) caring for or supporting someone who has had a stroke?
• a health or social care professional working with people who have had a stroke?

Are there questions about stroke that you think are important for research to try to answer?  Your questions could help to improve treatment, rehabilitation and prevention in the future.

Click here to view all details.

Posted February 2020

Cochrane Ireland and Cochrane UK Symposium 2020

The joint Cochrane Ireland and Cochrane UK Symposium 2020 will take place in Dublin on Tuesday 21st and Wednesday 22nd April 2020 The symposium is an annual event for all our networks, including UK- & Ireland-based Cochrane Contributors, researchers, health professionals, students, charities, patient advocates, and other interested groups. The event will take place at The Gibson Hotel, Point Square, North Dock, Dublin.

Click here to find all the information about the event, including how to register, on the Cochrane Ireland website.

Posted June 2019

Methodology: What is it? Hints from clinical settings

10-13 September 2019, Perugia, Italy.

Click here to download the full summer school programme.

Posted January 2019

Impact factor

The 2017 Journal Impact Factor for the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews is 6.754.

We are pleased to announce also that the individualised Impact Factor for Cochrane Stroke is  7.276. 

Our top five cited reviews were:

1. Virtual reality for stroke rehabilitation

2. Electromechanical and robot-assisted arm training for improving activities of daily living, arm function, and arm muscle strength after stroke

3. Physical fitness training for stroke patients

4. Speech and language therapy for aphasia following stroke

5. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for improving activities of daily living, and physical and cognitive functioning, in people after stroke

Posted January 2019/Edited August 2021

Early bird registration is now open for the Cochrane UK & Cochrane Ireland 2019 Symposium

We very much look forward to welcoming you to Oxford for our annual Symposium 2019, which is a joint Cochrane UK and Cochrane Ireland event. 

This Symposium is an opportunity for us to come together as a Cochrane community to share knowledge and creative ideas for producing and sharing best evidence; to learn from each other and to improve our skills to ensure that our work is of high quality.  In a joint session, we will highlight innovative activities taking place within Cochrane and provide a choice of workshops for in-depth training to support current best practice and introduce the latest developments. 

The Symposium will take place in Oxford, on Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd March 2019. There will be a Gala Dinner on the Thursday at Trinity College, University of Oxford.

Posted January 2019

The 2019 Cochrane Colloquium will take place in Santiago from 22-25 October.

All details can be found at the Colloquium website.

Posted March 2018

In this series, we will be sharing some of the things that stroke survivors have told us matters to them; highlighting Cochrane evidence about stroke interventions, and flagging up new research and opportunities for involvement. We’ll be hearing from stroke survivors, health professionals and researchers in guest blogs throughout March, and this page on Evidently Cochrane will be updated as we go through, with our mini infographics (blogshots) and links to podcasts and all the blogs.