Cochrane

Background Older people living in care homes (also called nursing homes, residential homes, skilled-nursing facilities, assisted-living facilities or aged-care facilities) have many complex physical and mental health problems. Care home residents are prescribed many medicines compared to people who live in their own homes, with an average of eight ...

Review question Should transvaginal mesh or biological grafts or native tissue be utilised to repair vaginal prolapse? Background Pelvic organ prolapse is common, affecting as many as 50% of women who have had children. The traditional method of repairing vaginal prolapse using native tissue is associated with high rates of recurrence. It is thought ...

Evidence for the effectiveness of care interventions for adults with epilepsy is still unclear. This review compared the effectiveness of a range of interventions, including specialist nurses and management strategies, in improving outcomes for adults with epilepsy. We identified seven distinct intervention types, with varying amounts of evidence to ...

Since the first national legislation banning indoor smoking in all public places was introduced in 2004, there has been an increase in the number of countries, states and regions adopting similar smoke-free legislation banning smoking in public places and work places since this review was first published. The main reason is to protect nonsmokers from ...

Review question: Is iron alone or iron as a supplement to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) superior to ESAs alone in the management of people diagnosed with chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA)? Background: The current treatment of CIA is ESAs, which increase the production of red blood cells (erythropoiesis), and in some cases ESAs and iron. ...

Background In women sexual dysfunction is a potential complication of many types of cancer treatments. This review evaluated the effectiveness of treatments (interventions) of any kind, for example drugs or exercise, for treating sexual dysfunction in women following cancer treatment. The review is an update of one published in 2007 that assessed ...

Review question Are enhanced recovery protocols beneficial or harmful when compared to standard surgery in people undergoing major surgeries of food pipe (oesophagus), stomach, liver and pancreas? Background 'Fast-track surgery' or 'enhanced recovery protocol' or 'fast-track rehabilitation' incorporates one or more of the following components: patient ...

Caesarean section involves making an incision in the woman's abdomen and then cutting through the wall of the uterus. The baby is then born through these incisions. Numerous different ways have been suggested to facilitate the birth of the baby at difficult caesarean section and reduce the risk of injury to the baby, such as fractures and nerve damage. ...

Review question We reviewed the evidence about the effect of giving antifungal medications before a definitive diagnosis of fungal infections on mortality from all causes and development of severe infections due to fungi (invasive fungal infections) in adults and children who are critically ill but non-neutropenic, i.e. with a normal number of neutrophils ...

Vitamin D is produced by the human body from exposure to sunlight and can also be consumed from foods such as fish-liver oils, fatty fish, mushrooms, egg yolks, and liver. Vitamin D has many functions in the body; it helps maintain bone integrity and calcium homeostasis. During pregnancy, vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency may develop. Vitamin D ...