Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: A 2005 survey of Cochrane authors from developing countries identified training, mentorship and practical assistance as priorities. The South African Cochrane Centre (SACC), the Cochrane Infectious Diseases and HIV/AIDS Groups responded with the Reviews for Africa Programme (RAP), funded by the Nuffield Commonwealth Programme.
Objectives: The primary output of the training programme is for successful applicants from the eligible 24 Sub-Saharan African countries to complete Cochrane reviews. It aims also to develop research capacity and promote evidence-based healthcare policy and practice in the region.
Methods: RAP consists of three phases, and successful completion of each phase leads to progression to the next (Table 1). Two phases are intense courses conducted at the SACC. Each participant is linked to an experienced Cochrane author who provides guidance and methods expertise. Evaluation, to identify lessons learnt, is done with weekly course evaluations, focus group discussions and comparison of participants' progress against set timelines.
Results: The first five participants (from Nigeria and Kenya) are conducting reviews on HIV/AIDS, malaria and sexually transmitted infections. Phase 1 was held in September 2005 at the SACC. Each participant submitted their protocol to their respective Cochrane editorial bases by the end of the course and felt prepared and motivated to start the full review. Five months after the first phase, two protocols have been published and three are in press. Participants recommended that future courses include increased awareness-raising of RAP, improved access to background articles, more time during on-site courses to review and practice the skills learnt, more time allocated to statistical methods, and increasing out-of-hours access to computers and the internet.
Conclusions: RAP is an important model and other Cochrane Review Groups might consider how they can build on this approach in partnerships with skilled groups in developing countries to promote research synthesis.
Objectives: The primary output of the training programme is for successful applicants from the eligible 24 Sub-Saharan African countries to complete Cochrane reviews. It aims also to develop research capacity and promote evidence-based healthcare policy and practice in the region.
Methods: RAP consists of three phases, and successful completion of each phase leads to progression to the next (Table 1). Two phases are intense courses conducted at the SACC. Each participant is linked to an experienced Cochrane author who provides guidance and methods expertise. Evaluation, to identify lessons learnt, is done with weekly course evaluations, focus group discussions and comparison of participants' progress against set timelines.
Results: The first five participants (from Nigeria and Kenya) are conducting reviews on HIV/AIDS, malaria and sexually transmitted infections. Phase 1 was held in September 2005 at the SACC. Each participant submitted their protocol to their respective Cochrane editorial bases by the end of the course and felt prepared and motivated to start the full review. Five months after the first phase, two protocols have been published and three are in press. Participants recommended that future courses include increased awareness-raising of RAP, improved access to background articles, more time during on-site courses to review and practice the skills learnt, more time allocated to statistical methods, and increasing out-of-hours access to computers and the internet.
Conclusions: RAP is an important model and other Cochrane Review Groups might consider how they can build on this approach in partnerships with skilled groups in developing countries to promote research synthesis.
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