THE COCHRANE-COLLABORATION TO PROVIDE UP- TO-DATE INFORMATION ON THERAPEUTICS

Today, prescribers need to distinguish between the clinical practices based on randomized clinical trialing information and those based on a nimal physiological data or theory. Now the information on therapeutic s is becoming more dense, more complex and less available to the clini cians. Information sources are numerous and varied including data whos e quality differs. These data are unhierarchised in terms of methodolo gical quality and clinical relevance. It will be optimal if each presc riber could himself collect and analyse scientific information. In fac t this situation cannot be effective in private physician's practices. An international collaboration, the Cochrane Collaboration, including volunteers, university researchers, and clinical investigators has th e following objective: to prepare, maintain and disseminate systematic reviews of the effects of health care. The Cochrane Collaboration is thus the most adapted intermediairy between scientifically actualized data and clinical practitioners.