Stay programme at the Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre in Barcelona

Article type
Authors
Gorgues M1, Girós M1, Roqué M2, Solà I2, Urrútia G3, Bonfill X3
1Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre – Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau). Barcelona.
2Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre – Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau). Barcelona; CIBERESP, Spain.
3Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre – Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau). Barcelona.; CIBERESP, Spain; Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Barcelona.
Abstract
Background: the Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre (IbCC) started a stay programme in the year 2000, as a result of its commitment to promote and develop Cochrane activities across the Iberoamerican world, through the Iberoamerican Cochrane Network (IbCN).

Objectives: the objective of these stays is to provide methodological support to people from the Iberoamerican region in developing Cochrane Systematic Reviews (SRs) and other evidence-based research projects, such as clinical practice guidelines (CPGs).

Methods: the IbCC offers a workplace in the Centre facilities and, if available, members of the IbCN are also offered accommodation in a shared apartment at no cost. On a training level, visitors receive methodological support to progress on their protocol or review. They are also invited to collaborate on different on-going projects, attend workshops that are taking place at that time, and participate in bibliographical sessions.

Results: since 2000 the IbCC has hosted around 290 professionals from over 30 different countries. A total of 91% visit us from countries within the IbCN (16), and the remaining 9% are visitors from Europe, America, Asia and Oceania (see figures 1 and 2). Most of them are Cochrane Review authors, although some visitors are CPG developers, health science or translation post-graduate students, PhD students, etc.

The profile of our visitors has evolved from a mostly professional profile at the beginning, to a student profile. As a consequence of the establishment of new geographical National Centres and Associate Centres within the IbCN, the training options available in the region have increased and diversified, and the number of training applications from Cochrane authors has decreased.

The average stay length goes from one to two months, depending on the availability of the applicant.
The stay programme has entailed an important contribution to the production of protocols and reviews by Iberoamerican authors published in the Cochrane Library.

Conclusions: we believe that the stays conducted at the IbCC so far have met the objective of providing methodological support to Iberoamerican researchers in developing evidence-based research. The stay programme is a complementary training tool to the available online resources. The interaction and participation in IbCC’s projects encourage multi-disciplinary training and learn-by-doing methods. It therefore proves to be a good initiative to strengthen the IbCN and an opportunity for new review authors to train abroad. For this reason, we are committed to continuing to promote these exchanges that enrich our organization.

Patient or healthcare consumer involvement: the stay programme has contributed to a better training of many professionals who will be able to transfer to patients and consumers from many countries all the work they have developed.