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Cochrane Library: Home

High-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making

What is the Cochrane Library?

The Cochrane Library consists of three sections: the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and Cochrane Clinical Answers. 

  • The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) is the leading resource for systematic reviews in health care.
    • You can also search:
      • Protocols (systematic reviews currently in process)
      • Trials
      • Editorials
      • Topical Special Collections
      • Clinical Answers
      • Epistemonikos (additional systematic reviews), and
      • Health Systems Evidence (a repository of synthesized research evidence related to governance, financial and delivery arrangements in health systems and to implementation strategies that can support change within health systems)  
      • Social Systems Evidence (repository of synthesized research evidence about the programs, services and products available in a broad range of government sectors and program areas, as well as the governance, financial, implementation, and delivery arrangements within which programs and services are provided)
  • The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) is a highly concentrated source of reports of randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials. Most CENTRAL records are taken from PubMed and Embase, but records are also derived from other published and unpublished sources, including CINAHL , ClinicalTrials.gov, and the WHO's International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. 
  • Cochrane Clinical Answers.(CCAs) provide a readable, digestible, clinically-focused entry point to rigorous research from Cochrane Reviews. They are designed to be actionable and to inform point-of-care decision-making. Each CCA contains a clinical question, a short answer, and data for the outcomes from the Cochrane Review deemed most relevant to practising healthcare professionals.

You can start your search by selecting any of the sections described above (see arrows), or you can filter your search results after you initiate a search in the search box.

Cochrane search options and filters

 

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Email: library@dmu.edu