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The Cochrane Stroke Group

Learn how the Cochrane Stroke Group helps reviewers identify relevant trials through systematic search strategies, trial registers, handsearching, and collaboration with international collaborators.

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The Cochrane Stroke Group

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  1. The Cochrane Stroke Group Helping reviewers to identify trials Brenda Thomas Alison McInnes Peter Sandercock

  2. Role of the Information Specialist • Plan, implement and co-ordinate a comprehensive trials identification strategy • Assess and code relevant trials • Develop and maintain a specialised register of randomised trials and controlled clinical trials • Support reviewers • Contribute to the editorial process Considerable time and resources are committed to maximising trial identification

  3. A systematic approach to trial identification and management • Multiple overlapping search strategies • electronic resources • handsearching and translation • personal communication • Trials register: relational database where the trial is the unit of data • facilitates preparation and updating of reviews • reliably tracks trial information • identifies areas where reviews are needed • monitors review quality: ensures reviews are kept up-to-date • Used to influence future trials searching activities

  4. Search Strategies • 20 electronic bibliographic databases • Handsearch and translation programme • More than 500 relevant electronic journals • Web-based international clinical trials and research registers (ongoing studies) • Websites: e.g. press releases, research centres • Contact with trialists and drug companies (unpublished studies) Supported by the considerable resources of The University of Edinburgh and NHS Scotland e-library

  5. Bibliographic databases GENERAL • MEDLINE, EMBASE, BIOSIS, Derwent Drug File, SCISEARCH SPECIALISED • AMED, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Digital Dissertations, FROSTI, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, MANTIS, Occupational Therapy Journal of Research Index, SPORTDiscus, Wilson Social Sciences Abstracts Many thousands of references to be screened

  6. Handsearching and translation • 26 volunteer handsearchers • 48 specialist Journals (6 languages) • 147 books and conference proceedings • 47 volunteer translators from 19 countries • 700 non-English trial reports (20 languages) • 56% Chinese or Japanese Contribution of volunteers has been crucial

  7. Growth of Trials Register Approximately 1000 trial reports identified per year

  8. The Stroke Group Trials Register Today 8137 trial reports 3598 individual stroke trials Found in 900 different journal titles 121 conference proceedings 143 books and dissertations 130 electronic sources Included in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials

  9. Stroke Group Reviews Example: new review title More than 250 International Stroke Group collaborators based in 22 countries have contributed to the production of 77 Cochrane Systematic Reviews Acupuncture for stroke rehabilitation Reviewers based in China

  10. How can the Stroke Group help identify trials? • Regular searches of Stroke Group Trials Register • Developing search strategies and running searches of bibliographic databases and trials registers • Advice on other appropriate trial identification strategies e.g. specialist databases • Handsearching specialist journals and conference proceedings • Translation Avoid duplication!

  11. Searches of trials registers • Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register • Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials • Cochrane Complementary Field Registry • http://www.compmed.umm.edu/Cochrane/registry.html • National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine • The Centralised Information Service for Complementary Medicine (CISCOM) • Chinese Stroke Trials Register • Chinese Acupuncture Trials Register REVIEWER

  12. Intervention-based searches of bibliographic databases • MEDLINE • EMBASE • CINAHL • Allied and Complementary Medicine Database (AMED) • China Biological Medicine Database (CBM-disc) Avoid overlap with Stroke Group searches

  13. Stroke Group general strategymodified for each database Highly sensitive Cochrane TRIALS strategy STROKE specific strategy ? Screened for stroke trials

  14. Review-specificintervention-based strategy Highly sensitive Cochrane TRIALS strategy STROKE specific strategy ? ? ? Review specific INTERVENTION-based strategy Screened for additional relevant trials

  15. Other help finding trials • Sourcing paper copies of “difficult to find” trial reports • Contacting authors for information on trials with limited information • Arranging translation of non-English language trial reports

  16. The Information Specialist and the review process • Advice on trial identification methods • Guidance on writing search methods section of protocol and review • Editorial comment as part of review process

  17. Updating reviews • Searches of Stroke Group trials register on demand • Update searches of bibliographic databases • New search sources can be identified Active support can help motivate reviewers

  18. Reviewers need varying degrees of help • Access to databases • Previous literature searching experience • Availability of local librarians • Problems accessing journals and conference proceedings • English language limitations Stroke Group

  19. Summary • The Stroke Group provides considerable support for reviewers searching for trials • The major resource is the Stroke Group Trials Register which is comprehensive and rapidly expanding • The Information Specialist devises additional complementary strategies to maximise trial identification • The quality of the search strategy section of reviews is monitored as part of the review process

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