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Opinion
In pursuit of excellence Teresa González-Gil discusses the work of the Cochrane Collaboration, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary AN INDEPENDENT, NOT-FOR-PROFIT organisation, the Cochrane Collaboration was named in honour of Archie L Cochrane, who recognised as far back as the 1970s that healthcare professionals should not make clinical decisions unless they have taken research results into account (Cochrane 2004). Formed to promote a high quality care culture, it presents information derived from methodologically sound research into the effectiveness of healthcare interventions, including assessments, diagnoses, and the implementation and evaluation of care plans, in different clinical settings. International in scope and covering nursing as well as medicine, the Cochrane Collaboration caters for the empirical, ethical, aesthetic and personal knowledge needs of healthcare professionals (Carper 1978). This year, it celebrates its 20th anniversary. The importance of the Cochrane Collaboration’s work is widely acknowledged. The International Council of Nurses and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, for example, support the need for evidence‑based nursing, while the standards set by Cochrane Collaboration have been endorsed by, for example, the Joanna Briggs Institute, at the University of Adelaide, South Australia, and by several relevant publications. EMERGENCY NURSE
The Cochrane Nursing Care Field (CNCF) was created in 2009 to identify nurses’ knowledge needs so that they can be met simply and clearly. Such needs are met by: ■■ Incorporating high quality, current and relevant studies of nursing care into the Cochrane Library database of clinical trials. ■■ Providing advice for conducting systematic reviews on clinical issues in the relevant fields of care. ■■ Disseminating in various formats the results of Cochrane’s systematic reviews. The CNCF has more than 1,200 members and invites all emergency nurses interested in the promotion of evidence-based practice to join. Critical thinking The promotion of critical thinking among healthcare professionals is essential. As well as providing nurses with useful resources, the Cochrane Collaboration encourages them to question how care is provided, reflect on conflicting clinical scenarios and develop proposals for service improvement. Emergency Nurse has demonstrated its commitment to evidence-based nursing by citing the results of Cochrane systematic reviews regularly in its articles, for example in Treatment options for ankle ligament sprain (Slade 2012).
Nurses’ commitment to care improvement depends on their use of resources on a daily basis. Incorporating evidence-based practice into their work is an urgent responsibility, therefore, even though such practice is regularly redefined in light of new research findings. This is why the Cochrane Collaboration will continue to work alongside nurses and other healthcare professionals to constantly improve standards of care. Teresa González Gil is assistant professor at the health science faculty nursing department, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, and a member of the Cochrane Nursing Care Field
Find out more To learn more about the Cochrane Nursing Care Field (CNCF), visit cncf.cochrane.org To become a member of the CNCF, visit cncn-reg.joannabriggs.org To visit the Cochrane Library, go to tinyurl.com/yc2757p
References Carper B (1978) Fundamental patterns of knowing in nursing. Advanced Nursing Science. 1, 1, 13-23. Cochrane AL (2004) Effectiveness and Efficiency. Royal Society of Medicine Press Ltd, London. Slade H (2012) Treatment options for ankle ligament sprain. Emergency Nurse. 19, 9, 19-22.
November 2013 | Volume 21 | Number 7 11
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Opinion
In pursuit of excellence Teresa González-Gil discusses the work of the Cochrane Collaboration, which this year celebrates its 20th anniversary AN INDEPENDENT, NOT-FOR-PROFIT organisation, the Cochrane Collaboration was named in honour of Archie L Cochrane, who recognised as far back as the 1970s that healthcare professionals should not make clinical decisions unless they have taken research results into account (Cochrane 2004). Formed to promote a high quality care culture, it presents information derived from methodologically sound research into the effectiveness of healthcare interventions, including assessments, diagnoses, and the implementation and evaluation of care plans, in different clinical settings. International in scope and covering nursing as well as medicine, the Cochrane Collaboration caters for the empirical, ethical, aesthetic and personal knowledge needs of healthcare professionals (Carper 1978). This year, it celebrates its 20th anniversary. The importance of the Cochrane Collaboration’s work is widely acknowledged. The International Council of Nurses and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, for example, support the need for evidence‑based nursing, while the standards set by Cochrane Collaboration have been endorsed by, for example, the Joanna Briggs Institute, at the University of Adelaide, South Australia, and by several relevant publications. EMERGENCY NURSE
The Cochrane Nursing Care Field (CNCF) was created in 2009 to identify nurses’ knowledge needs so that they can be met simply and clearly. Such needs are met by: ■■ Incorporating high quality, current and relevant studies of nursing care into the Cochrane Library database of clinical trials. ■■ Providing advice for conducting systematic reviews on clinical issues in the relevant fields of care. ■■ Disseminating in various formats the results of Cochrane’s systematic reviews. The CNCF has more than 1,200 members and invites all emergency nurses interested in the promotion of evidence-based practice to join. Critical thinking The promotion of critical thinking among healthcare professionals is essential. As well as providing nurses with useful resources, the Cochrane Collaboration encourages them to question how care is provided, reflect on conflicting clinical scenarios and develop proposals for service improvement. Emergency Nurse has demonstrated its commitment to evidence-based nursing by citing the results of Cochrane systematic reviews regularly in its articles, for example in Treatment options for ankle ligament sprain (Slade 2012).
Nurses’ commitment to care improvement depends on their use of resources on a daily basis. Incorporating evidence-based practice into their work is an urgent responsibility, therefore, even though such practice is regularly redefined in light of new research findings. This is why the Cochrane Collaboration will continue to work alongside nurses and other healthcare professionals to constantly improve standards of care. Teresa González Gil is assistant professor at the health science faculty nursing department, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, and a member of the Cochrane Nursing Care Field
Find out more To learn more about the Cochrane Nursing Care Field (CNCF), visit cncf.cochrane.org To become a member of the CNCF, visit cncn-reg.joannabriggs.org To visit the Cochrane Library, go to tinyurl.com/yc2757p
References Carper B (1978) Fundamental patterns of knowing in nursing. Advanced Nursing Science. 1, 1, 13-23. Cochrane AL (2004) Effectiveness and Efficiency. Royal Society of Medicine Press Ltd, London. Slade H (2012) Treatment options for ankle ligament sprain. Emergency Nurse. 19, 9, 19-22.
November 2013 | Volume 21 | Number 7 11
Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 14, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
