title: Report from the kick-off meeting of the Cochrane Skin Group Core Outcome Set Initiative (CSG-COUSIN).
abstract: A major obstacle of evidence-based clinical decision making is the use of nonstandardized, partly untested outcome measurement instruments. Core Outcome Sets (COSs) are currently developed in different medical fields to standardize and improve the selection of outcomes and outcome measurement instruments in clinical trials, in order to pool results of trials or to allow indirect comparison between interventions. A COS is an agreed minimum set of outcomes that should be measured and reported in all clinical trials of a specific disease or trial population. The international, multidisciplinary Cochrane Skin Group Core Outcome Set Initiative (CSG-COUSIN) aims to develop and implement COSs in dermatology, thus making trial evidence comparable and, herewith, more useful for clinical decision making. The inaugural meeting of CSG-COUSIN was held on 17-18 March 2015 in Dresden, Germany, as the exclusive theme of the Annual Cochrane Skin Group Meeting. In total, 29 individuals representing a broad mix of different stakeholder groups, professions, skills and perspectives attended. This report provides a description of existing COS initiatives in dermatology, highlights current methodological challenges in COS development, and presents the concept, aims and structure of CSG-COUSIN.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Evidence-Based Healthcare, Medizinische Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.|Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.affiliation: Centre for Evidence-Based Healthcare, Medizinische Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Deckert
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, U.S.A.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alam
authors.affiliation: Medical Sociology, Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Apfelbacher
authors.affiliation: Department for Development, Research and Health Technology Assessment, Agency for Quality and Accreditation in Health Care and Social Welfare, Zagreb, Croatia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barbaric
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chalmers
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, AP-HP, Hôpitaux Universitaires Henri Mondor, Créteil, France.|Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France.|Satellite Français du Cochrane Skin Group, France.|EA EpiDermE, INSERM Créteil, Créteil, France.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Chosidow
authors.affiliation: Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Delamere
authors.affiliation: Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Doney
authors.affiliation: Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Eleftheriadou
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grainge
authors.affiliation: Centre for Evidence-Based Healthcare, Medizinische Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Johannsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kottner
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, AP-HP, Hôpitaux Universitaires Henri Mondor, Créteil, France.|Université Paris-Est Créteil, Créteil, France.|Satellite Français du Cochrane Skin Group, France.|EA EpiDermE, INSERM Créteil, Créteil, France.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Le Cleach
authors.affiliation: German Center for Health Services Research in Dermatology (CVderm), Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing (IVDP), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain.|IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain.|Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain.|CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pinart
authors.affiliation: Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Prescott
authors.affiliation: VU University Medical Center, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, the EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: C A C
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Prinsen
authors.affiliation: Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ratib
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Allergy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Schlager
authors.affiliation: Derby Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Derby, U.K.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Venereology, and Allergology, J.W. Goethe-University, Hospital, Frankfurt, Germany.|Evidence-Based Medicine Frankfurt, Institute for General Practice, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Weberschock
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergy, Allergie-Centrum-Charité, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Weller
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergy, Division of Evidence Based Medicine (dEBM), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: R N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Werner
authors.affiliation: Centre of Wound Healing, Departments of Dermatology, Venereology, Allergology and Immunology, Dessau Medical Center, Dessau, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wild
authors.affiliation: Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Wilkes
authors.affiliation: Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, U.K.
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D003226:Congresses as Topic; D003880:Dermatology / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care