Background: Cochrane reviews aim to provide healthcare professionals, consumers, and policy makers with the most up-to-date available evidence on the effects of healthcare interventions. Maintaining reviews is a core responsibility for review authors and review groups and it is recommended reviews should be assessed, and if necessary updated every two years. However, it is not always clear how to update any systematic review. The Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group (PCG) has published nearly 300 reviews and defines an updated review as a review for which the latest search has been conducted within two years of the version currently published in The Cochrane Library. Currently 110 (44%) of the PCG reviews are considered up to date using this definition. The PCG recognises the need to develop systems for successful updating.

Objectives: To provide an overview of the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's practical experience of centralised updating.

Methods: Three published reviews in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were identified to be centrally updated. The PCG editorial team instigated and co-ordinated this process in partnership with the contact author.

Results: Centralised updating of the three reviews ran concurrently. One member of the editorial team took overall responsibility for the facilitation of this process. At every stage of the process the contact author was kept informed. At particular stages of the update it became apparent that topic specific expertise was required from the individual contact authors.

Conclusions: Centralised updating appears to be acceptable to review authors. The process provides authors with the additional support necessary to identify and assess new trials, enter data, and update text. Additional evaluation of this process and further recommendations, including implications for the editorial office, will be presented and discussed.