What haemophilia could learn from the sickle cell work in the International Cochrane Collaboration

It is well recognized that individuals required to make informed decisions about healthcare interventions often do not have ready access to reliable reviews of the available evidence, with healthcare professionals, researchers, policy makers and consumers often overwhelmed by unmanageable amounts of information. Expert reviews go some way to presenting new information in a concise and readable format However, these are generally not subject to the same scientific rigour as the actual primary research they summarize. The International Cochrane Collaboration was established to address this need through the development and publication of rigorous, peer-reviewed, well-performed systematic reviews. This article will briefly summarize the basic principles of the Cochrane Collaboration, primarily focusing on its work in the field of inherited haemoglobinopathies, in particular sickle cell disease, and highlight potential areas of interest for haemophilia. (C) 2003 Lippincott Williams Wilkins.