We produce reliable health evidence that people around the world can use to make informed health decisions. We work to ensure that our evidence is used to deliver better health for all.

1. We produce timely, relevant evidence for and with the people who need it most

Cochrane's main work is producing systematic reviews. A systematic review is a way of reviewing all the data and results from research on a particular health question in a standardized way, to give an objective and clear overview of all the relevant evidence. Systematic reviews are the most reliable form of health evidence, and we are widely considered the leader in systematic reviews. Find out more about systematic reviews.

We write Cochrane reviews so that health professionals, patients and policymakers can all get accurate, trustworthy information when they need to make decisions about how to prevent, treat or manage conditions – whether on an individual level or to create global health guidelines. We bring together specialist researchers, clinicians, people with health conditions and their families and carers to write reviews on a wide range of health topics, to ensure our findings are relevant and useful to all. Through our scientific strategy we are focusing on four key research priorities to address the most pressing health challenges.

"Cochrane has fundamentally transformed the landscape of research use by establishing a bridge between health decisionmakers – whether patients, policymakers or health providers - and scientific knowledge."
Luis Gabriel Cuervo, Colombia. Senior Advisor, Research promotion and development, Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization

"Cochrane helps me to help myself, and to help many – especially women with breast cancer. The Cochrane Library gives you reliable information, up-to-date information, which makes you a more intelligent and more involved patient."
Sara Yaron, former breast cancer patient, Israel

2. We save and improve lives by ensuring everyone can contribute to and benefit from trusted evidence

We provide free resources and support to everyone who has the skills, experience and desire to help us improve global health. We train patients, their families and carers in how to understand and contribute to our reviews; we support health professionals and researchers with complex review-writing skills; we run events and webinars to involve, support and update a wide range of people; and much more.

Cochrane groups around the world are the unique backbone of our work, bringing together people with all kinds of expertise to produce health findings that are relevant to a wide variety of cultures, settings and ethnicities. Through our volunteer translators, we publish our evidence in more than 20 languages, unlocking our research for millions, particularly people in low- and middle-income countries or with limited access to reliable information. All our reviews include a plain language summary to ensure everyone can understand our findings.

Our evidence is trusted around the world due to the rigour of our review methods, our strict editorial policies, the renown and variety of our review teams, and our commitment to constant improvement. Find out more about why our evidence is trusted.

"The authors involved me from the beginning, when you have to select which outcomes you want to use, which outcomes are important to patients. It was especially interesting to do the implications for practice, because we know how we are treated in clinical practice."
Bernd Arents, The Netherlands, who was invited to take part in a Cochrane Review due to his experiences of eczema

"There are scientists working away behind the scenes and they are making a difference, definitely. It makes me feel really good to know, not only that he had the treatment, but why he had the treatment and how he had the treatment. It definitely makes me feel really grateful."
Rebecca Selby, UK, with her son George, who was given steroids to strengthen his lungs as a premature baby on the basis of Cochrane findings

3. We collaborate locally and globally to strengthen our community and enhance impact

We have official relations with the World Health Organization, and our findings inform the vast majority of their guidelines. Our researchers work with many specialist medical and healthcare associations and societies, which means our evidence reaches millions through health guidelines and policies that clinicians all over the world follow. Read about the impact of our work.

We have relationships with publishers, research and teaching institutions, health providers and medical charities to publicize our findings and advocate for better care based on them. We also work to safeguard the future of evidence-based medicine: we go into local schools and provide resources to universities to teach the next generation how to use health evidence. We provide tools, data and custom review services to institutions who trust our sound evidence and expertise. Find out more about our products and services.

"We wanted to support local services to advocate for themselves and now they can use this information as they need – either to show where they might need to make changes or to demonstrate that what they're doing is effective and benefits children, families and communities. They are really making a difference."
Dr Natalie Strobel, Cochrane Author and Senior Research Fellow at Edith Cowan University’s Centre for Improving Health Services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Families, Australia

"The collaboration with Cochrane is very important for WHO, and this is why we value this partnership. Cochrane is one of the major institutions, at the global level in particular, to synthesize, analyze, and disseminate evidence so that this evidence can be used by WHO in the guideline process."
Dr Marie Paule Kieny, Former Assistant Director-General, Health Systems and Innovation, World Health Organization