The Cochrane Patient and Public Network is for anyone interested in health evidence, and helping to produce and share high-quality evidence.

The Cochrane Patient and Public Network is a growing community of more than 2,500 people in over 100 countries. When we say 'patients and the public', we mean patients and potential patients, carers, people who use health and social care services, and people or organizations that represent these groups.

At Cochrane, we believe that involving patients and the public in research is vital to producing evidence that is relevant, accessible, useful and impactful to people making informed health choices. 'Patient and public involvement' is research being carried out 'with' or 'by' members of the public, rather than 'to', 'about' or 'for' them.

We have involved patients and the public in our work since the very start, more than 30 years ago – read our principles for involving patients and the public in our work.

Today, all new Cochrane reviews report how patients and the public were involved in the research process. The Cochrane Editorial Board includes patient and public representation. The Patient and Public Network Executive works closely with Cochrane to achieve annual goals of involvement – see our framework for working with patients and the public. We have signed the Shared Commitment to Public Involvement in Health and Social Care Research.

Why join the Patient and Public Network?

The Patient and Public Network is free to join. Joining this community brings many benefits. For example, as a member you can:

• meet others like you: an online community of patients and members of the public, with a shared goal of producing and sharing health evidence
• access discounts to attend a range of local and international Cochrane meetings and events
• apply to help lead the network's activity through the Cochrane Patient and Public Network Executive.
• represent patients and the public on Cochrane's Editorial Board, which oversees the production of Cochrane reviews and other Cochrane Library content.

Patients and members of the public can also:

• get involved in producing and sharing health evidence, working with world-leading researchers
• receive a monthly newsletter featuring the latest health evidence, training, events, and more
• learn about health evidence through our free resources
• connect with a Cochrane group, field or network in your area of interest
• gain free access to the Cochrane Library and Cochrane Interactive Learning for one year, as part of an author team, the Cochrane Patient and Public Network Executive or as a peer reviewer
• access the Cochrane Library for free, if you are located in a Research4Life country
• earn points towards Cochrane Membership. Cochrane Membership is our way of thanking all kinds of people who help us improve healthcare. It is a well recognized commitment to evidence-based medicine that brings even more benefits, including training discounts and having a say in how Cochrane is run.

"We participate not just to broaden researchers’ perspective, keep our needs in the spotlight, prevent waste or improve research, but because we have the right to be meaningfully involved in the decisions made about us." Karen Morley, UK

What difference could I make?

You can play a vitally important role! Your experiences and insights can help ensure that research asks the right questions and delivers results that truly make a difference to people’s lives.

You won’t be expected to have technical knowledge of how research works. What makes your input unique, and so valuable, is your lived experience with the health system. Researchers may understand health challenges from textbooks, but they don’t always understand what it’s like to navigate treatments or care services firsthand. That’s where you come in!

People contribute to health research for many reasons:

• Learn more about your own health, systematic reviews, and how systematic reviews can be used to make informed health decisions
• Enhance social connections
• Develop new skills and confidence
• Support research in representing diverse perspectives for healthcare
• Sense of purpose and empowerment from contributing to knowledge and systemic improvements
  • Support better decisions for researchers, policymakers and other decision-makers
  • Help advance medical knowledge to improve care for others
  • Shape the future of healthcare for generations to come

In partnership with researchers, you can help shape what research gets done – focusing on real-world needs; how research is carried out – making research more meaningful; and how the results are shared – so research is more accessible and beneficial for the people who need them most.

You can make a difference at any and every stage of research. Whether you’re giving feedback, helping design studies, or sharing insights on health care, your voice can influence not just researchers, but also the people who take part in research and those who use the findings to make health decisions. Learn more about our impact.

How do I join the Patient and Public Network?

Please complete this short form to join the Patient and Public Network. You will need to log in or sign up for a free Cochrane account. We will contact you with a welcome pack, newsletters and regular information.

Sign up for news

Sign up today for monthly Cochrane news for patients and the public. Go to the Communications tab in your Cochrane account and select 'Cochrane Patient and Public Newsletter'. Sign up for a free Cochrane account.

Get in touch

To contact the Cochrane Patient and Public Network, see our contact us page.