Consumers

Consumers bring an important perspective to the Collaboration and Cochrane reviews. Two of the ten principles of The Cochrane Collaboration are: building on the enthusiasm of individuals and enabling wide participation. We encourage the involvement of consumers (person who receives health care) in Cochrane activities and invite you to become a member of the Cochrane Consumer Network.

Consumers in Canada

We are currently expanding the Cochrane consumer community in Canada. Some of the Cochrane Review Groups based in Canada have been actively working with consumers (the Musculoskeletal Group and the Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Functional Bowel Disorders Group).  We would like to see consumers involved from a broad scope of patient organizations.

What can I do?

Consumers can be involved in Cochrane in many ways!

     •  Identify potential review topics
     •  Comment on review protocols and reviews
     •  Handsearch health journals for relevant studies
     •  Write plain language summaries
     •  Disseminate the results of reviews to lay people
     •  Raise awareness about the importance of systematic reviews in the
         non-scientific community

Get connected!

• Orientation and workshops: Meet other consumers in Canada who are involved in Cochrane and learn more about Cochrane. We can also provide ongoing support with your Cochrane activities.
  Contact Cheryl Arratoon, Knowledge Broker at cochrane doesnotexist@cochrane.org uottawa.ca for more information.
• The Cochrane Consumer Network: Become a member
• Email list: Sign up for the international listserv for consumers; email ccnet-contact doesnotexist@cochrane.org cochrane.de
  

Resources for consumers

• http://www.cochrane.org/consumers/resources.htm
• Browse the plain language summaries and abstracts from Cochrane reviews
• Browse the plain language summaries from reviews of the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group from The Arthritis Society.