title: Archibald Cochrane (1909-1988): the father of evidence-based medicine.
abstract: Professor Archibald Cochrane (1909-1988) is considered to be the originator of the idea of evidence-based medicine in our era. With his landmark book 'Effectiveness and Efficiency: Random Reflections on Health services' he managed to inspire and positively influence the medical society with respect to the proper assessment of reliable evidence for the provision of the best medical care. His vision combined with his scientific achievements can be considered as the foundation of the Cochrane Collaboration; named after him in recognition of and gratitude for his pioneering work. We present the highlights of his adventurous and vibrant personal and academic life in an attempt to honour his contribution to shaping modern medical research.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cochrane Medical Education Centre, Cardiff, UK.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stavrou
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Challoumas
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dimitrakakis
mesh_terms: D004501:Education, Medical / Q000266:history; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000266:history*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000266:history*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000266:history; D012107:Research Design; D012196:Review Literature as Topic; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Archibald Cochrane; Cochrane collaboration; Evidence-based medicine