
Home Review results by therapeutic healthcare area About evidence-based healthcare The Cochrane Collaboration About health consumer participation Terminology Process
Why health consumer involvement Introduction A 'healthcare consumer' is someone who uses, is affected by, or who is entitled or compelled to use a health related service and is generally not a professional healthcare provider. Health consumers, patients and carers provide a civil society perspective to systematic reviews of best evidence within The Cochrane Collaboration. Cochrane reviews are generally prepared by researchers and healthcare providers. Visit the webpages www.cochrane.org/consumers to find out more about the Consumer Network. How to use the web area This website provides you with summaries of technical systematic reviews of best evidence. The summaries are written by consumer members of the Cochrane Consumer Network and are about healthcare interventions, grouped under health condition or disease. The information is a summary of the findings from Cochrane systematic reviews prepared by members of the Consumer Network, to support you and your healthcare provider in decisions about health care. This information cannot in any way replace the advice given to you by your healthcare providers. The full text of the review is available in The Cochrane Library (ISSN 1464-780X). The summaries and abstracts prepared by the authors of Cochrane reviews are available to all who have access to the internet on www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/topics/index.html The process for development of consumer summaries Members of the Cochrane Consumer Network, in partnership with the Cochrane Complementary and Alternative Medicine Field, have identified Cochrane reviews of particular relevance to health consumers, patients and carers. These are in the area of complementary therapies, non-medication and physical therapies and management of lifestyle and behaviour; areas that require buy in by the individuals concerned. The consumers involved in preparing the summaries are people who are experienced in commenting of Cochrane reviews from a consumer perspective. To draft a summary, they have carefully read the entire review and pulled out the information that is of importance to them as consumers, in the language and weighting of importance that they are comfortable with. The summaries have been written in plain language, as far as is possible with the technical nature of these reviews, and have the intent to be informative. The effect size of an intervention is an important consideration, to be balanced with possible harms or challenges in following the intervention. Once a summary has been prepared, it is checked and edited by the project manager (Janet Wale). Summaries are grouped into overviews in a particular health condition or disease. The first overviews were sent to the relevant review groups, some of whom responded and gave useful feedback. This was incorporated into the overview and added value. For the Menstrual Pain overview, our very first one, the reviews were all by the same lead author and so the overview was sent direct to her. Every effort is made by the project manager to ensure the summaries are updated with each issue of The Cochrane Library. Summaries may continue to be presented, even when a review has been withdrawn, with the reason for its withdrawal. As we progress with the overviews more summaries will be sent to authors so that they are aware of them and can make comment, if they wish. These summaries are not the same as those accompanying the reviews in The Cochrane Library or appearing on www.cochrane.org/reviews/ Funding This project was funded in part by the Grant Number R24 AT001293 from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). This grant supports the activities of the CAM Field at the Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine. The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing provides funding to support Cochrane activities in Australia. Some funds go to the Cochrane Consumer Network, which is convened from Australia, and is used to strengthen the voice of consumers in the Collaboration and to promote the availability of information from Cochrane reviews. Top of page Copyright © ccnet

Why health consumer involvement

Introduction

A 'healthcare consumer' is someone who uses, is affected by, or who is entitled or compelled to use a health related service and is generally not a professional healthcare provider.

Health consumers, patients and carers provide a civil society perspective to systematic reviews of best evidence within The Cochrane Collaboration. Cochrane reviews are generally prepared by researchers and healthcare providers.

Visit the webpages www.cochrane.org/consumers to find out more about the Consumer Network.

How to use the web area

This website provides you with summaries of technical systematic reviews of best evidence. The summaries are written by consumer members of the Cochrane Consumer Network and are about healthcare interventions, grouped under health condition or disease.

The information is a summary of the findings from Cochrane systematic reviews prepared by members of the Consumer Network, to support you and your healthcare provider in decisions about health care. This information cannot in any way replace the advice given to you by your healthcare providers.

The full text of the review is available in The Cochrane Library (ISSN 1464-780X).

The summaries and abstracts prepared by the authors of Cochrane reviews are available to all who have access to the internet on www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/topics/index.html

The process for development of consumer summaries

Members of the Cochrane Consumer Network, in partnership with the Cochrane Complementary and Alternative Medicine Field, have identified Cochrane reviews of particular relevance to health consumers, patients and carers. These are in the area of complementary therapies, non-medication and physical therapies and management of lifestyle and behaviour; areas that require buy in by the individuals concerned.

The consumers involved in preparing the summaries are people who are experienced in commenting of Cochrane reviews from a consumer perspective. To draft a summary, they have carefully read the entire review and pulled out the information that is of importance to them as consumers, in the language and weighting of importance that they are comfortable with. The summaries have been written in plain language, as far as is possible with the technical nature of these reviews, and have the intent to be informative. The effect size of an intervention is an important consideration, to be balanced with possible harms or challenges in following the intervention.

Once a summary has been prepared, it is checked and edited by the project manager (Janet Wale). Summaries are grouped into overviews in a particular health condition or disease. The first overviews were sent to the relevant review groups, some of whom responded and gave useful feedback. This was incorporated into the overview and added value. For the Menstrual Pain overview, our very first one, the reviews were all by the same lead author and so the overview was sent direct to her. Every effort is made by the project manager to ensure the summaries are updated with each issue of The Cochrane Library. Summaries may continue to be presented, even when a review has been withdrawn, with the reason for its withdrawal.

As we progress with the overviews more summaries will be sent to authors so that they are aware of them and can make comment, if they wish.

These summaries are not the same as those accompanying the reviews in The Cochrane Library or appearing on www.cochrane.org/reviews/

Funding

This project was funded in part by the Grant Number R24 AT001293 from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). This grant supports the activities of the CAM Field at the Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing provides funding to support Cochrane activities in Australia. Some funds go to the Cochrane Consumer Network, which is convened from Australia, and is used to strengthen the voice of consumers in the Collaboration and to promote the availability of information from Cochrane reviews.

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