About consumer participation | Cochrane Consumer Network

Note: "prioritise topics for new reviews"
In response to a request from the Cochrane Network, ovarian cancer women/caregivers were asked to respond to a survey regarding priortisation. This was done, in part, through the ACOR Ovarian Cancer group (http://www.acor.org). A large response was received and the Cochrane Network responded in a positive manner.

 

About consumer participation

The authors of Cochrane reviews may consider a question for a review because of their own interests and experiences as a clinician or a healthcare researcher. These are not always the questions that are of most concern to healthcare consumers and their families and carers.

It is not easy for us, the public, to understand how the questions for Cochrane reviews need to be stated in order to be ‘answerable’ in research terms. You can learn more about this from our Training materials on the Resources webpage.

The purpose of consumer input during the review process is to:

• ensure that a review question is relevant to people requiring health care and who are offered an intervention by their healthcare providers;
• identify outcomes from healthcare interventions that are important for consumers – which may be different from those identified by service providers;
• improve access to reviews by ensuring that the review can be read by a wide audience, and the language is sensitive to consumers;
• weigh up the benefits of a healthcare intervention against the potential harms – from a healthcare user perspective;
• prioritise topics for new reviews.