In the US and internationally, healthcare providers, policy makers, payers, researchers, educators, consumers and others are increasingly focused on """"""""evidence-based healthcare"""""""" (EBHC), the integration of research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values. The Cochrane Collaboration is an international non-profit and independent organization of over 13,000 individuals from more than 100 countries, dedicated to making up-to-date, accurate information about the effects of healthcare readily available worldwide. The overall objective of the proposed series of conferences, which take place over a 3-year period, is to facilitate translation of research into policy and practice. To meet this objective The US Cochrane Center will (1) frame conference agendas with the aim of increasing the quality and relevance of systematic reviews; (2) ? disseminate information about systematic reviews and their appropriate use widely; and (3) provide a forum for methodological education and communication of advances in EBHC across a broad base of investigators and users. We will host one conference and three small workshops each year. To maximize attendance and interest, the three conferences will each comprise a different topic and target audience. The first conference (April 2008) will cover how best to prioritize reviews and the third (April 2010) will cover how systematic reviews can best contribute to the quality of care. The second conference (April 2009) will aim to build on a conference we hosted in 2006, examining review methodologies across groups doing systematic reviews and how to maximize the impact of reviews on users. Our goal is that the participants in these conferences will involve the key players in US EBHC, as was true at our 2004, 2005, and 2006 meetings and that this series of meetings becomes a mainstay in the conferences attended by US reviewers and users. The annual """"""""US contributors' meetings"""""""", """"""""EBHC workshops for consumers"""""""", and """"""""train the trainers"""""""" workshops at Cochrane Colloquia (October, 2007,2008, and 2009) will extend our US-based conferences to an audience well positioned to make changes in the ways a large proportion of reviews are done (the international Cochrane Collaboration). This package of proposed meetings will foster communication among the diverse groups within the US and beyond who are conducting and using reviews to inform EBHC. Increased communication across disciplines will further development of improved designs and methods used to conduct and disseminate results of systematic reviews by bringing together the best methods of each group. To increase the probability of having a direct impact on US healthcare, the USCC will collaborate with the AHRQ Evidence-based Practice Centers and other groups (e.g., Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US Preventive Services Task Force) conducting and using systematic reviews, who will be invited to serve as conference faculty and as part of the planning process. ? ? ?
