The Cochrane Iran Challenge was held on Thursday, February 1, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM with 52 participants. The participants in the challenge classified 78,692 records on the Cochrane Crowd platform and identified approximately 4,000 randomized controlled trials (RCTs). According to the Cochrane Crowd platform support team, the speed of record classification was relatively constant throughout the 12-hour challenge, except between 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM when all participants were active and approximately 14,000 records were classified during this period.

The first place winner of the challenge was Seyed Aria Nejadghaderi, who classified 18,849 records with an accuracy of 78.3% and identified 432 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) during the challenge. He has recently completed his Doctor of Professional Medicine from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and learned about the challenge through social media and his friends. He stated that developing his skills in screening studies was the most important factor in his participation in the challenge.

In his suggestions to the Cochrane Iran for promoting and increasing the use of Cochrane evidence among healthcare providers, Seyed Aria Nejadghaderi stated: "In my opinion, expanding the activities of the Cochrane Iran with various research centers across the country, familiarizing medical students at different levels with the role of evidence in clinical decision-making (through holding challenges, summer schools, or workshops, defining a course on evidence-based medicine or other related courses, or adding this to regulations that accept systematic reviews as dissertations or even provide support for them), could be effective. In addition, developing national-level applications for decision-making on how to use this evidence in clinical practice, as well as providing the opportunity to completing a training course or military service at the Cochrane Iran, can be beneficial in terms of increasing the recognition of the center, producing evidence, and ultimately applying it by healthcare providers.

The second place in the challenge was awarded to Hadi Keshavarz, who classified 13,090 records with an accuracy of 88.7% and identified 1644 RCTs. he graduate of the laboratory sciences program at the bachelor's level, became acquainted with Cochrane through the "Critical Thinking and Informed Decision Making" workshop held by Cochrane Iran trainers at Shahroud University of Medical Sciences in February 2022. The winner, who was also recognized as one of the top performers in the Cochrane Crowd Challenge of the aforementioned workshop, had been waiting for two years for the announcement of a national challenge to test their skills again. He stated: "During the past year, in my free time, I participated in every challenge and course that Cochrane organized. I also participated in several Cochrane Iran Journal Clubs where Cochrane reviews were analyzed. I would also participate if another round is held."
 

The third place in the challenge was awarded to Danial Sayyad, a nursing expert and an intensive care unit (CCU) nurse at Milad Specialized Hospital in Isfahan. He classified 12,721 records (with an accuracy of 83.9%) and identified 219 RCTs during the challenge. A follower of the Cochrane Iran Instagram channel, he shared his story of participating in Cochrane as a nurse in 2019.

Amirhossein Ghaedamin-Asadabadi With 8,306 records classified (61.5% accuracy), Zakieh Ostadahmadi with 3,350 records (92.2% accuracy), Fatemeh Ahmadi with 2,797 records (93.7% accuracy), Mohammad Emad Sharifi with 2,152 records (93.2% accuracy), are the other participants in the challenge, and Cochrane Iran would like to express its sincere gratitude to them.