2008 - Dutch Cochrane Centre - The Cochrane Collaboration

The Dutch Cochrane Centre - Annual report 2008
Accomplishments in Relation to the Objectives for 2008
OBJECTIVE 1
To stimulate and support evidence-based medicine activities in the Netherlands to
help professionals and consumers to make well-informed decisions about health
care.
Activity 1.1
To support the use of evidence-based medicine in Dutch health care.
Accomplishments
- We successfully applied for a European tender issued by the Dutch Health Care Insurance
Board (College voor Zorgverzekeringen, CvZ). In the next two years we will prepare 6-8
systematic reviews regarding topics for which CvZ has to advise the Minister of Health.
- In September, we started our Systematic Review Unit (SRU) to prepare systematic
reviews regarding healthcare interventions and the accuracy of diagnostic tests for Dutch
health care organisations.
- In collaboration with ENT departments of various Dutch Universities we assisted two
researchers with updating a NICE guideline regarding Bilateral Cochlear Implants for the
Dutch Health Care Insurance Board.
- We assisted the guideline working group Pancreas Carcinoma of the Integraal Kanker
Centrum Amsterdam (IKA) with systematically summarizing the existing evidence.
- We were contracted by the guideline working group Treatment of asthma in children of
the Dutch Paediatric Society to prepare a systematic summary of the existing evidence.
- We critically reviewed the European Guideline “Treatment of inguinal hernia in adult
patients” of the European Hernia Society and provided them with suggestions for
improvement.
- We assisted the Advisory Committee “Autism in children” of the Dutch Health Council
with updating an existing systematic review and meta-analysis of the results.
- We acted as an arbiter for the guideline working group “treatment of basal cell
carcinoma” of the Dutch Society of Dermatology and Dutch Society for Plastic Surgery
and advised regarding a recommendation re Mohs’ surgery.
- We obtained a grant to conduct a project regarding evidence-based information retrieval
for clinicians. The project is conducted in collaboration with the Medical Library of the
AMC and the department of Dermatology of the AMC. The objective is to develop a tool
to assist busy clinicians with finding their way in retrieving relevant evidence.
- We participated in a project regarding efficient retrieval of guidelines in the AMC. The
project is lead by the Medical Library and the Quality and Process Improvement Institute
of the AMC.
- Staff members of the Dutch Cochrane Centre were advisors of the “EBRO-platform”, in
which representatives participate of almost all Dutch entities that are involved with
guideline development, and of various other scientific and advisory committees.
- Rob Scholten was invited discussion panel member of a symposium regarding “Evidence:
fit for purpose” of the Centre for Ethics and Health.
- Rob Scholten participated in a conference regarding context effects of the Netherlands
Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw).
- We published several articles for the Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde (Dutch
Medical Journal) and other Dutch medical journals.
- We produced the third edition of our Dutch textbook on evidence-based medicine.
9