The Cochrane Collaboration Stroke Review Group. Meeting the need for systematic reviews in stroke care.
BACKGROUND
There is a pressing need to identify which interventions are definitely effective in the prevention of stroke and in the treatment and rehabilitation of stroke patients, which interventions are definitely ineffective, and which interventions require further research. This information is most reliably obtained from reviewing all the available evidence from randomized controlled trials in a systematic way.


RESULTS
There have been many (at least 8000) randomized controlled trials relevant to stroke. It would be difficult for any one individual to keep track of all these trials, and therefore most clinicians, therapists, and researchers are dependent, to some degree, on reviews of this literature. However, most current reviews are unsystematic and tend to be either incomplete or biased, so that their recommendations can be seriously flawed. Until now there has been no attempt to systematically identify all randomized controlled trials relevant to stroke (including subarachnoid hemorrhage), to review the data they contain, and to keep these reviews up-to-date in the light of new evidence. The Stroke Review Group has now been established within the Cochrane Collaboration to try to perform these tasks. There are presently 40 collaborators from 13 countries working on approximately 25 reviews.


CONCLUSIONS
Identifying and reviewing all randomized controlled trials relevant to stroke should bring important benefits to patients and all those involved in purchasing or providing care for patients with stroke. The Cochrane Collaboration Stroke Review Group has started this process and would welcome help from anyone interested in collaborating in this enormous task.
Counsell
C
C
Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Warlow
C
C
Sandercock
P
P
Fraser
H
H
van Gijn
J
J
D015982:Bias; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy*; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007256:Information Systems; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012042:Registries; D012107:Research Design; D000078202:Systematic Reviews as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome