Get involved
How can you help?
The Cochrane PVD Group has over 300 members from all over the world, who help with the activities of the group. These members come from a variety of different backgrounds, and include medical practitioners, surgeons, nurses, statisticians, policy decision makers, and members of the public who have an interest in peripheral vascular diseases. Membership of the group is free, and members volunteer their services in a number of different ways:
Preparing a systematic review
A systematic review draws together all the available information on a subject for evaluation and synopsis, using predetermined criteria and explicit methods designed to limit bias. This process may include a statistical meta-analysis, a technique which summarises the results of several studies into a single estimate. This may produce a statistically significant finding where none was present in the individual studies. Approximately 200 members of the group are currently involved in preparing systematic reviews. The PVD Group provides support, software and training for those members wishing to prepare a review.
Reviews are usually conducted by teams of co-authors, and are produced in three distinct stages:
- Registration of the title with the review group. This avoids the duplication of reviews, and involves completing a title registration form. For instructions how to complete the title registration form click here. (title registration form - Word doc; instructions -Word doc)
- Writing a protocol. This describes the background to the review, its objectives, the inclusion criteria for trials, and the methods for extracting and processing the information. Once protocols have been approved by the editorial team they are published on The Cochrane Library. Protocols should be completed within 3 months of registering a review title.
- Completing the review. This involves identifying, and assessing the quality of the trials, extracting data, summarising the relevant information, and drawing conclusions.
The completed review should be submitted for editorial approval within 12 months of the protocol submission. Once approved the review is published on The Cochrane Library. Authors are expected to ensure that their review is kept up to date by incorporating any new relevant information as it appears in the medical literature. Further information about preparing a Cochrane review can be found in the author's handbook, in the recources for review authors page and by completing a membership form.
Handsearching journals
The Collaboration has undertaken an extensive handsearching programme in order to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs) in journals not indexed on databases such as MEDLINE and EMBASE. This is vital if Cochrane Reviews are to incorporate all the available evidence. All identified RCTs and CCTs relevant to peripheral vascular diseases are incorporated into the specialist trials register belonging to the Cochrane PVD Group. They are also sent to the New England Cochrane Centre for inclusion in the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) in The Cochrane Library. Handsearching involves searching journals page-by-page, including editorials and letters, in order to identify information relating to randomised controlled trials (RCTS), controlled clinical trials (CCT), and quasi-randomised controlled trials (QRCT). If you would like to help with handsearching journals especially any non-English journals you feel may be useful, please complete a membership form to receive further details. Details are also available on the Collaboration's web page and in the recources for handsearchers page.
Providing details of previous and ongoing trials
In order to ensure completeness, and to avoid bias in Cochrane reviews, it is vital that all possible sources of information on RCTs are thoroughly searched. This includes electronic databases (EMBASE, MEDLINE and others), handsearching (see above), cross referencing, conference proceedings, drug company literature, and other sources (word of mouth etc.). If you know of any previous (published or unpublished), ongoing (published or unpublished), proposed future trials, or conference proceedings which may be relevant, please the send details to our editorial base. Conference proceedings will be searched by staff working for the group, and returned as soon as possible.
Providing statistical advice
All reviews published by the Cochrane PVD Group are scrutinised by our statistical editor. In addition it is helpful to use individuals with a statistical background as co-authors.
Acting as peer reviewers
Before publication in The Cochrane Library all reviews are examined by an editorial team consisting of two editors, a statistical editor, a peer reviewer and a consumer. If you would like to act as a peer reviewer please complete a membership form, stating clearly your fields of interest.
Helping to translate and identify non-English randomised controlled trials
Many references to relevant RCTs, CCTs and QRCTs, are published in non-English jounals. To ensure that Cochrane reviews incorporate all relevant information from suitably designed trials, it is vital that evidence from non-English publications is included in reviews. Consequently the PVD Group is continuously identifying through its searching activities, articles which require translation. Members can help the group by identifying key words and terms, and where necessary providing translations of the article abstract.
Acting as consumers
The Collaboration is very keen to ensure that its reviews are accessible to as wide an audience as possible, including non-medically trained individuals. This has led to the formation of a Consumer network. Consumers are also involved in the editorial process, reading reviews prior to their acceptance for publication on the Cochrane Library. For more information on how to become a consumer please see our recources for healthcare users page.
If you would like to assist the group in any way, please submit either a membership form, or a consumer membership form.