2008 - Dutch Cochrane Centre - The Cochrane Collaboration

Activity 1.2
The Dutch Cochrane Centre - Annual report 2008
To train medical professionals in evidence-based medicine.
Accomplishments
- In 2008, we organised 31 courses and workshops about evidence-based medicine and
systematic reviews. There were over 1000 participants. See page 15 for an overview.
- We worked with various Dutch health care institutions (among which the
Kwaliteitsinstituut voor de Gezondheidszorg CBO, Dutch Society of Pediatricians and
various scientific societies) to run in-house courses on EBM and Evidence-based Guideline
Development.
- In collaboration with the Coronel Institute of the AMC, we ran various modules of the
newly developed EBM Teach_the_Teachers course for Occupational Health physicians of
the ArboUnie.
- We developed a computer assisted module “Critically Appraisal of a Systematic Review
and How to deal with heterogeneity in a Systematic Review?” for medical students.
OBJECTIVE 2
To contribute to The Cochrane Collaboration to support evidence-based medicine.
Activity 2.1
To support and to stimulate the preparation of high quality Cochrane systematic reviews
about health care interventions.
Accomplishments
- Eighteen new protocols for a systematic review and 12 new systematic reviews with a
Dutch speaking first author were published in the Cochrane Library. The number of active
reviews and protocols with a Dutch speaking first author in The Cochrane Library is now
247 (page also 17).
- Four workshops “Developing a systematic review” were given. A total number of 59
participants attended.
- The UK and Continental Europe Support Units organised the first (two-day) workshop
“Cochrane Systematic Reviews of Diagnostic Test Accuracy” for authors of Cochrane
reviews. There were 20 participants.
- In collaboration with the UK Support Unit we organised various other workshops
regarding Cochrane Diagnostic test accuracy reviews.
- On November 28, the Annual Dutch Cochrane Contributors Meeting was held. Topics
included were “What’s new in Cochrane?” and “Adverse effects in Cochrane reviews”.
Invited speakers were Sheena Derry of the Cochrane Adverse Effects Methods Group and
Jan Vandenbroucke, LUMC. There were 27 participants.
- We answered on average 5-10 queries per week by phone or e-mail. Approximately 30
persons visited the Dutch Cochrane Centre for consultation.
- Mariska Leeflang, Hans Reitsma and Rob Scholten were appointed as editor of the
Diagnostic Test Accuracy Editorial Team of The Cochrane Collaboration.
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