title: The Cochrane Collaboration.
abstract: The Cochrane Collaboration is an international organisation that aims to help people make well-informed decisions about health care by preparing, maintaining and ensuring the accessibility of systematic reviews of the benefits and risks of health care interventions. We describe the structure and activities of the Cochrane Collaboration, especially focusing on the carrying out of systematic reviews of randomised trials. We describe the place of surgery and surgeons within the Cochrane Collaboration.
authors.affiliation: ICRF/NHS Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Institute of Health Sciences, Oxford OX3 7LF, UK.
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Altman
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Burton
mesh_terms: D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D013502:General Surgery; D006801:Humans; D007255:Information Services; D007390:International Agencies; D009939:Organizations, Nonprofit; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic