3.5.3 Co-ordination of Methods Groups

Decisions about the scope and boundaries of Cochrane Methods Groups have sometimes rested solely on the existing interests of the individuals involved. When establishing Methods Groups, a balance needs to be struck between The Cochrane Collaboration’s principles of “building on people’s existing enthusiasm and interests” and “minimising duplication of effort”. In the first few years of The Cochrane Collaboration, enthusiasm and established interests were generally allowed to dominate over the prevention of duplication, so that those with specific interests relevant to the aims of The Cochrane Collaboration were encouraged to pursue them. This sometimes resulted in more overlap than is desirable, and more consideration is now being given to avoiding unnecessary duplication and proliferation of Methods Groups with overlapping interests. This had implications for new Methods Groups wishing to register (i.e. they must address needs that are not already being addressed), for existing groups and for co-ordinating the activities of Methods Groups.

Responsibility for co-ordinating Methods Groups rests with their representative on The Cochrane Collaboration Steering Group (CCSG) and the Methods Executive. This responsibility includes facilitating communication among Methods Groups, responding to expressions of interest in forming new Methods Groups, serving as a conduit to the Monitoring and Registration Committee and the CCSG for applications to register Methods Groups, and facilitating the development and maintenance of modules for Methods Groups. One specific aspect of this co-ordination is the organization of a meeting of the Methods Board at each Cochrane Colloquium.

Methods Groups are expected to contribute to the work of the Methods Board. A key responsibility of the Methods Board is the provision of formal recommendations to the CCSG on methods to be used for Cochrane Reviews on the effects of interventions. This guidance will largely originate from the Methods Groups. The guidance is disseminated through the Interventions Handbook and DTA Handbook, and through implementation in software, both of which also rely on specific input from Methods Groups. The Handbooks aim to help authors make good decisions about the methods they use in their systematic reviews of healthcare interventions and diagnostic tests. The guidelines in the Handbooks are intended to help authors to be systematic and explicit about the questions they pose in Cochrane reviews and how they derive answers to those questions.