Review of Cochrane systematic reviews by medical students: Disseminating information of excellence on evidence-based health

Article type
Authors
Mateussi M1, Farias T1, Lovato F1, Latorraca C1, Braga V1, Cheim MC1, Santos J1, Barros E1, Bernardo D1, Leonel L1, Rocha L1, Hosni N1, Dias L1, Silva M1, Daou J1, Coelho T1, Costa I1, Logullo P1, Gois A1, Torloni MR1, Atallah A1, Riera R1
1Cochrane Brazil, Escola Paulista de Medicina- Universidade Federal de São Paulo
Abstract
Background: The Medicine School in Universidade Federal de São Paulo, in Brazil, has an Evidence-based Medicine Academic League. Medical students work, in partnership with the Cochrane Brazil and the Associação Paulista de Medicina (publisher of Diagnóstico & Tratamento journal and São Paulo Medical Journal), to disseminate information of excellence on evidence-based health across the country. (Figure1.Journal covers.)

Objectives: To report about one of the most successful experiences of the League, the production and regular publication of reviews of Cochrane systematic reviews in two medical journals.

Methods: The students choose the theme to be evaluated. With the tutor's guidance, they make a systematic search, translate and evaluate studies which fit the original theme. The overviews are submitted for publication in Diagnóstico & Tratamento journal, in which a new Cochrane Highlights section was created: What Cochrane systematic reviews say about ...?. This is an open-access, scientific, regional journal, with its printed version, in Portuguese, distributed to all physicians in São Paulo state (the Brazilian state with the largest concentration of physicians), and they are indexed LILACS and fully available for free on the publisher's website. The same section was also created in São Paulo Medical Journal, this one also an open-access journal indexed in LILACS, SciELO, Medline and ISI. The journals evaluate the paper as a regular submission, through peer-review, and propose changes.

Results: So far, the League has produced 9 manuscripts in 2 years, that were published as shown in Table1. Table 2 shows the studies under development.

Conclusions: By writing the overviews, medical students learn to obtain quality information through Cochrane systematic reviews, and they are introduced into the Cochrane methodology, translations and interpretation of findings from systematic reviews. In addition, as the journals are widely distributed, they spread quality information in English and Portuguese to a range of doctors who may not have full access to conferences and meetings for professional updates, helping in the dissemination process.