A newly-published Cochrane review reveals significant gaps in the clinical rating scales used to assess pain in newborn babies, highlighting the urgent need for improved tools and global collaboration.

Cochrane will no longer use the term ‘consumer’ to represent patients and the public, which we previously defined as ‘healthcare consumers’. We have adopted the term ‘patient and public involvement’ to describe research being carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ members of the public, rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them.

Monday 7 April marks World Health Day, a day organised by the World Health Organization (WHO) to highlight a particular global health issue. This year, it aims to kick off a year-long campaign on maternal and newborn health.

Cochrane peer reviewers can now feature their peer review activity on their Web of Science profiles thanks to a new collaboration between Cochrane and Clarivate. Clarivate operates the Web of Science platform, a database that tracks citations, authorship and contributions in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The Web of Science Reviewer Recognition Service allows peer reviewers to track, verify and showcase their work and expertise through the platform. 

A new Cochrane review confirms that antidepressants effectively reduce symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) under trial conditions, although there is limited data on long-term usage.

Introduction and Overview to the Global Coalition

As the pace of new research accelerates, keeping systematic reviews up-to-date with the latest evidence has become increasingly vital. Cochrane is at the forefront of this evolution with our leadership in living systematic reviews (LSRs)—a dynamic approach that ensures evidence remains current and relevant.

The research team, led by scientists from UCL, Bath Spa University, the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, examined evidence from 25 studies on the impact of calorie labelling on food selection and consumption. They found that calorie labels in supermarkets, restaurants and other food outlets led to a small reduction in the calories people selected and purchased. The average reduction was 1.8%, which would equate to 11 calories in a 600 calorie meal – or around two almonds.

Cochrane’s systematic reviews are playing a key role in informing the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidelines for managing preterm infants, including respiratory interventions. These reviews, led by Cochrane Sweden and Cochrane Neonatal, are providing the evidence that is directly shaping recommendations on treatments like caffeine therapy to support lung function in preterm babies.

Wikipedia is one of the most important online encyclopedic resources globally, with far more pages available than any other reputable encyclopedia currently. In this context, the Cochrane Collaboration has been directly partnering with Wikipedia since 2014 to provide English-language health and medical pages with the best available evidence.In alignment with this goal and its commitment to providing evidence-based information, Cochrane Iran has initiated a joint project with the Cochrane Collaboration, and since September 2023, translated, revised, and published 19 pages on Persian Wikipedia.