Because research involving complementary medicine therapies cuts across both disease conditions and patient populations and is often published in languages and journals not routinely available to researchers, practitioners, or consumers, the Cochrane Collaboration Complementary Medicine (CM) Field was established to gather these widely disbursed research reports. The overall objective of this Resource-Related Research Project is to enhance the Cochrane Collaboration CM Field as a resource for researchers as well as practitioners and consumers interested in complementary and alternative therapies. Specifically, the project will (1) improve and increase the registry of randomized clinical trials and controlled clinical trials of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) interventions, (2) expand the visibility and use of the registry, (3) increase the number of high quality systematic reviews in CAM, and increase the collaboration and promotion of the Cochrane CM Field. Through optimally sensitive electronic searches and hand searches for published and unpublished literature in any language, CAM trials will be identified and added to the existing registry of over 5500 trials that is accessible through the Cochrane Library and on the NCCAM and Complementary Medicine Program websites. The Cochrane registry is a key research resource that provides primary researchers, as well as researchers desiring to conduct systematic reviews, the most current and complete registry of trials available. This resource will be enhanced by the development of improved methods for storage, information management, and retrieval. Additions to the registry site will include a threaded discussion forum, improved keywording, a glossary of scientific and CAM terminology, and links to consumer summaries of systematic reviews. Because of unique methodological concerns in conducting systematic reviews in the CAM field, a workshop specifically designed for training in conducting systematic reviews in CAM will also be developed to facilitate the synthesis of this massive amount of information. Finally, high quality reviews in key priority areas of CAM will be produced and commissioned by project personnel to provide the timely and rigorous syntheses of available information with respect to the efficacy and safety of high impact CAM interventions. ? ?
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