Podcasts From The Cochrane Library

There's increasing recognition of the importance of involving patients and the public in decision making about health services and a growing body of relevant research. In March 2023, we published a new qualitative evidence synthesis which brings some of this research together. It used co-production and, in this podcast Rachel Plachcinski, an independent Parent, Patient and Public Involvement Consultant and member of Cochrane's Consumer Network Executive, speaks with two of the authors, Bronwen Merner and Rebecca Ryan, from La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia and the Cochrane Consumers and Communication Group about the review and its findings.

The Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility Group has prepared more than 220 reviews and, in September 2022, a team from Germany, The Netherlands and New Zealand updated one of these, looking at the use of a drug called letrozole for subfertile women with anovulatory polycystic ovary syndrome. Lead author, Sebastian Franik from the University of Münster in Germany describes the latest findings in this podcast.

Dementia is a rising concern for patients, families and health services around the world; highlighting the need to find ways to alleviate its impact. The Cochrane Review of cognitive stimulation to improve cognitive functioning in people with dementia was updated in January 2023 and we asked lead author, Bob Woods from Bangor University in Wales, to let us know about the importance of the review and the latest findings.

Hip fracture is an increasingly important health problem and many people experience lasting impacts on their mobility and physical function after breaking their hip. An updated Cochrane review of interventions for improving mobility after hip fractures was published in September 2022 by researchers in Australia. In this podcast, Venisa Wing Kwok speaks with one of the authors, Nicola Fairhall both from the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health in the University of Sydney about the findings.

Several strategies are used to monitor and optimise the use of drugs for hospitalised patients and the Cochrane review of medication review was updated in January 2023. In this podcast, one of the group’s researchers, Mikkel Christensen, talks with lead author Cille Bülow, both from Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, about their latest findings.

Cochrane Infectious Diseases has produced dozens of reviews on the prevention and treatment of malaria. These include interventions, such as drugs, taken by people, as well as some at the level of the environment. One of these looks at house modifications for preventing malaria and we asked lead author, Tilly Fox from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the UK to tell us about the importance of the October 2022 update and its findings.

In May 2022, Cochrane published the first version of an overview and network meta-analysis of interventions for heavy menstrual bleeding, which can affect 20% to 50% of people who menstruate during their reproductive years. There are a variety of treatments available, each with its pros and cons, and the best treatment is likely to depend on several factors, including age, desire to have children, personal preferences and medical history.

Insomnia affects many people and a wide range of approaches are taken to try to help with it. One of these involves listening to music and the relevant Cochrane Review was updated in August 2022. Here's lead author, Kira Vibe Jespersen from Aarhus University and The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg in Denmark to tell us about the importance of the review and what it found.

Cochrane has produced a series of reviews relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic and is keeping these up-to-date in light of new evidence. In November 2022, we published the second version of a living systematic review on systemic corticosteroids and, in this podcast, the first authors, Mirko Griesel of the University of Leipzig Medical Center and Carina Wagner of the University Hospital in Cologne in Germany, talk about the evidence they’ve found and the potential effects of these drugs.

The intravenous administration of fluids and drugs, and the drawing of blood samples requires the placing of a catheter or cannula into a vein using a needle in a procedure known as peripheral intravenous cannulation. There are different ways to guide the procedure and a new Cochrane Review from December 2022 looks at the effect of using ultrasound guidance. In this podcast, Edoardo Ostinelli from the University of Oxford talks with lead author Masafumi Tada from Kyoto University in Japan, about the review.

Low-back pain is a very common problem, and a variety of treatments have been assessed in Cochrane Reviews. In November 2022, we published an update of the 2017 Cochrane review of the effects of yoga for chronic, non-specific low-back pain. The review was led by Susan Wieland of the Cochrane Complementary Medicine Field in the USA, together with colleagues from Canada, Germany and the UK. Here’s another of the authors on the review, Shireen Harbin from the Institute for Work & Health in Toronto Canada to tell us about the latest findings.

Osteoarthritis is the commonest type of arthritis and there are Cochrane reviews for many interventions that might be used to treat it. These were added to in October 2022 with a new review of the effects of using adjunctive therapies along with land-based exercise therapy for osteoarthritis of the hip or knee. In this podcast, podcast editor Mike Clarke speaks with lead author Helen French from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, about the importance of the review and its findings.

Most Cochrane Reviews look at the effects of interventions on health, but a growing number provide evidence on how to diagnose a disease. In September 2022, one of these diagnostic test accuracy reviews was updated for a test used to detect tuberculosis in children. The lead author, Alex Kay (left), and co-author, Tara Ness, from the Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston in the USA, tell us about the importance of the review and its latest findings in this podcast.

Many people with heart or vascular problems also have high blood pressure, and the latest update of the Cochrane Review of using blood pressure targets in their treatment was published in November 2022. Here's lead author, Luis Carlos Saiz from the Navarre Health Service in Pamplona Spain, to tell us about the review and its latest findings.

Some patients who take pharmaceutical opioids to treat pain become dependent on them and might need to switch to medications such as opioid agonists. In September 2022, an updated Cochrane Review brought together the relevant evidence and, in this podcast, Addiction Psychiatrist Shalini Arunogiri from Monash University and Turning Point in Melbourne talks with lead author, Suzanne Nielsen (or Suzi) from the Monash Addiction Research Centre in Australia.

The Cochrane Skin Group has produced some of the largest Cochrane reviews, providing a “one stop shop” for people interested in a wide range of interventions for a particular skin condition. One such example is the review of systemic medicines to treat psoriasis, which was updated for the fourth time in May 2022. We asked two of the authors, Laurence Le Cleach, head of the French satellite of the Cochrane Skin group and dermatologist at Henri Mondor hospital, AP-HP in France and Emilie Sbidian, a dermatologist working at the same hospital, to describe the findings.

Several Cochrane Reviews evaluate treatments for sickle cell disease, which can cause a huge burden for patients and their families. The review on the effects of hydroxyurea was updated in September 2022 by Angela Rankine-Mullings from the Sickle Cell Unit, Caribbean Institute for Health Research at The University of the West Indies in Jamaica and Sarah Nevitt, from the Department of Health Data Science, University of Liverpool in UK. We asked Angela to outline the need for the review and its latest findings in this podcast.

Identifying ways to help people be physically active should help improve their health and well-being, and prevent premature deaths. There are several relevant Cochrane reviews and one published in September 2021 looks at school-based programs. Here's the review's first author, Sarah Neil-Sztramko, from McMaster University in Canada to tell us about the importance of the review and its findings.

Hundreds of Cochrane reviews have been published over the last 25 years relevant to the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of cancers, including ovarian cancer. In a new review from July 2022, Clare Davenport, from the University of Birmingham in the UK, and colleagues examined the evidence on the use of multiple tests to detect it and she tells us what they found in this podcast.

Some new-born babies suffer from jaundice and there are several Cochrane reviews of possible ways to treat it, including the use of phototherapy. These reviews were added to in March 2022 with a new review of the effects of changing the baby’s position under the phototherapy. Lead author, Anu Thukral from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences tells us about the findings in this podcast.