Cochrane provides high-quality, relevant, and up-to-date synthesized research evidence to inform health decisions. This page highlights content relating to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the various related activities that Cochrane is undertaking in response.

We will be continually adding updates and additions to this page. Sections include information and resources for:

• Public, patients, and carers
• Healthcare workers
• Researchers
• Policy and guideline developers

Information and resources for the public, patients, and carers

In the ever-changing situation that we are in, it's important to have the latest information but we must ensure that information is coming from trustworthy sources. We have collected a variety of helpful resources related to COVID-19 from our community and partners. We also have several initiatives to get the public involved in our work and educated on how to make informed health decisions.

Helpful resources

• Cochrane evidence on COVID-19: a round-up - Evidently Cochrane blog from Cochrane UK provides bite-sized information on Cochrane evidence and health effects of the pendemic.
• Special Collection on effective options for quitting smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic - Evidence to support people who try to stop smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Special Collection on optimizing health in the home workspace - To help reduce the spread of COVID-19, workers in many countries have changed their usual work habits and are working from home where feasible. This collection includes evidence to help people stay healthy and well when they work from home.
• COVID-19: Making sense of health information is a resource for useful information and free training for the public.
• iHealth Facts, which is supported by Cochrane Ireland, is a resource where the public can quickly and easily check the reliability of a health claim circulated by social media.
• COVID-19, fertility, and pregnancy - important resources, guidance and advice statements from international organizations and societies. Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility group will be adding information to this page as it becomes available.
• COVID-19 review of national clinical practice guidelines for key questions relating to the care of pregnant women and their babies. Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth have identified, collated and summarised national clinical practice guideline recommendations that address important questions. This can help pregnant women see quickly what other countries are recommending for key clinical questions and help inform their decisions.
• Collection of summaries of relevant COVID-19 research from Evidence Aid, who champion evidence-based humanitarian actions.
• Resources in different languages:
  • Myth-busting site about COVID-19 in German supported by Cochrane Austria.
  • Oxford COVID-19 Evidence Service - the Oxford-Brazil EBM Alliance is translating these resources into Portuguese.
  • Evidencias COVID-19 is a continuously updated Spanish resource that provides answers to relevant questions about the pandemic. It includes rapid reviews of the literature and critical comments on studies and clinical trials, in addition to Cochrane reviews in Spanish related to COVID-19.

Initiatives under way

• Join the COVID-19 consumer rapid response group, a group for interested consumers to collaborate with researchers on COVID-19 Rapid Reviews.
• Join us as Citizen Scientists on our Cochrane Crowd platform with weekly challenges. No experience necessary and a great way to make a meaningful contribution while you are in isolation or practicing social distancing.
• Cochrane's Evidence Essentials is an online resource offering an introduction to health evidence and how to use it to make informed health choices. It's interactive, fun, and free!

Information and resources for healthcare workers

We know that basic science research and innovation will be vital in containing and mitigating the effects of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Cochrane can respond promptly to this unprecedented global health crisis by making our health evidence more accessible to those needing to make informed decisions at this time and responding to questions from front-line healthcare workers.

Relevant Special Collections
The Cochrane Reviews in these Collections are free to access. These Special Collections also include links to relevant Cochrane Clinical Answers - readable, clinically-focused, actionable answers to inform point-of-care decision-making for health professionals.

• Evidence relevant to critical care - This Special Collection brings together Cochrane Reviews identified as most directly relevant to the management of people hospitalized with severe acute respiratory infections.
• Infection control and prevention measures - This Special Collection brings together Cochrane Reviews identified as most directly relevant to the prevention of infection.
• Regional anaesthesia to reduce drug use in anaesthesia and avoid aerosol generation -This Special Collection brings together Cochrane Reviews identified as most directly relevant to support decision-making when planning regional anaesthesia.
• Remote care through telehealth - This Special Collection brings together Cochrane Reviews that address using telehealth to support clinical management of various conditions, including asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, reproductive health, and skin cancer. It includes reviews of using telehealth to provide carer and parent support as well as empowering patient self-management of their long-term conditions.
• Support for wellbeing in the healthcare workforce -This Special Collection brings together Cochrane evidence on interventions that may help support the wellbeing of the healthcare workforce and reducing occupational stress.
• Evidence relevant to clinical rehabilitation - This Special Collection brings together Cochrane evidence on rehabilitation of  acute respiratory distress syndrome and pulmonary restrictive syndromes, rehabilitation of post-intensive care syndrome,  and post-traumatic stress disorder, in the context of rehabilitation.

Relevant Reviews

• Personal protective equipment for preventing highly infectious diseases due to exposure to contaminated body fluids in healthcare staff - fast-tracked the update.
• Barriers and facilitators to healthcare workers’ adherence with infection prevention and control (IPC) guidelines for respiratory infectious diseases - rapid qualitative evidence synthesis review.
• Antibody tests for identification of current and past infection with SARS‐CoV‐2 - a diagnostic test accuracy review.
• Psychological interventions to foster resilience in healthcare professionals
• Interventions available during pandemics for heavy menstrual bleeding: an overview of Cochrane Reviews
• Rapid, point‐of‐care antigen and molecular‐based tests for diagnosis of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection
• Thoracic imaging tests for the diagnosis of COVID‐19
• Prophylactic anticoagulants for people hospitalised with COVID‐19
• Interventions to reduce contaminated aerosols produced during dental procedures for preventing infectious diseases

Initiatives currently underway

• Cochrane Clinical Answers related to COVID-19 have been rounded-up onto one landing page - they are readable, clinically-focused, actionable answers to inform point-of-care decision-making for health professionals.
• Contraception and abortion - resources, guidance, and advice statements from international organizations and societies maintained by Cochrane Fertility Regulation.
• Fertility, and pregnancy - resources, guidance, and advice statements from international organizations and societies. Cochrane Gynaecology and Fertility group is also maintaining a spreadsheet of all available published data on pregnancy and neonatal outcomes in relation to COVID-19. Information will be added to this page as it becomes available.
• Care of pregnant women and their babies. Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth have identified, collated and summarised national clinical practice guideline recommendations that address important questions. This can help busy clinicans see quickly what other countries are recommending for key clinical questions and help inform their decisions.
• Oral and dental care teams - Relevant Cochrane evidence and important resources, guidance and advice statements from international organizations and societies.
• Dermatology - Guidelines, evidence-based resources, and relevant patient information.
• ENT, Hearing and Balance - Important resources, guidance and advice statements from international organizations and societies related to COVID-19, and the management of patients with ENT, hearing and balance problems by ENT and Audiology professionals. The information on this page will be updated as new guidelines become available.
• Management of patients with gynaecological cancers or neuro-oncology - Important resources, guidance, and advice statements from international organizations and societies related to COVID-19, and the management of patients with gynaecological cancers or neuro-oncology. The information on this page will be continuously updated.
• Global ageing - Guidelines, related evidence related to COVID-19 and older people. The information on this page will be continuously updated.
• Rehabilitation's REH-COVER project- research focused on fundamental topics related to rehabilitation needs due to COVID-19. The information is updated monthly.
• US COVID-19 Repository - links to high-quality research, resources, and reports concerning COVID-19 and various medical, healthcare, and public health topics.

Information and resources for researchers

We must answer the time-sensitive needs of health decision makers, as fast as possible while simultaneously ensuring that the scientific imperative of methodological rigor is satisfied. We must also make sure that relevant Cochrane systematic reviews are up-to-date with the latest evidence.

Initiatives currently underway

• Cochrane COVID Review response - includes details on our work on prioritizing research questions and methods guidance.
• COVID Reviews database - view and search questions as well as see what reviews are being worked on.
• COVID-19 Study Register - providing a one-stop shop for primary research studies related to COVID-19.
• COVID-19 living evidence project - the project provides one location for decision-makers to access information on COVID trials and synthesized results that is frequently updated by independent researchers with expertise in evidence synthesis.
• Wellcome's statement committing to sharing research data and findings - Cochrane, along with an international community of researchers, journals and funders, has signed up to this statement for sharing the data relevant to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
• TaskExchange - connect to a global health evidence community and offer your skills or post a COVID-19 specific task and get help!
• Cochrane Rehabilitation's REH-COVER project- research focused on fundamental topics related to rehabilitation needs due to COVID-19. The information is updated monthly.

Information and resources for policy and guideline developers

Policy and guideline developers need to make time-sensitive decisions while ensuring they are incorporating high quality health evidence. The evidence they use also needs to be easy to understand and actionable.

• Digital contact tracing technologies in epidemics: a rapid review - read the accompanying news item.
• Plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 to treat individuals with COVID-19 - this rapid review also has a podcast with the lead author.
• Recommendations for the re-opening of dental services: a rapid review of international sources - this review supported by Cochrane Oral Health should assist policy and decision-makers in producing national guidance for their own settings.
• Quarantine alone or in combination with other public health measures to control COVID‐19: a rapid review - read the accompanying press release.
• Travel‐related control measures to contain the COVID‐19 pandemic: a rapid review - read the accompanying press release. 
• Universal screening for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection: a rapid review - read the accompanying press release. 
• Hand cleaning with ash for reducing the spread of viral and bacterial infections - this rapid review looks at the effects of using ash for cleaning hands when soap and water are not available and also includes a podcast.
• mHealth evidence summaries for decision makers - the use of mobile phones and tablets to organise health care, provide services, and communicate with clients, patients, and the public. Created by Cochrane Effective Practice and Organizational of Care, these short summaries of Cochrane reviews look at implementation considerations.
• Task shifting evidence summaries for decision makers - health workforce task shifting, lay health worker programmes, and doctor-nurse substitution. Created by Cochrane Effective Practice and Organizational of Care, these short summaries of Cochrane reviews look at implementation considerations.
• Health care worker compliance to infection prevention and control guidance: An evidence summary created by Cochrane Effective Practice and Organizational of Care that look at implementation considerations.
• COVID-19 living evidence project - the project provides one location for decision-makers to access information on COVID trials and synthesized results that is frequently updated by independent researchers with expertise in evidence synthesis.

https://www.cochrane.org/coronavirus-covid-19-cochrane-resources-and-news