World Evidence-based Healthcare Day is a global initiative that raises awareness of the need for better evidence to inform healthcare policy, practice and decision making in order to improve health outcomes globally.
Held on 20 October each year, the 2026 theme is “‘Evidence and AI: People at the Centre”. The theme explores the growing role of AI in evidence-based healthcare and highlights the importance of ensuring people remain central to how AI is developed, used, governed and evaluated in health decision-making.
AI is increasingly influencing healthcare and the wider evidence ecosystem. AI is increasingly influencing how health information is accessed, how evidence is synthesized and communicated, and how decisions are made in healthcare policy and practice.
While AI offers significant opportunities to strengthen evidence-based healthcare, it also raises important questions about trust, transparency, and accountability. This year’s campaign emphasizes the need for a people-centred approach to AI, ensuring that technological advances support, rather than replace, human judgement and expertise. The campaign also recognizes the growing importance of trustworthy evidence in an AI-mediated world. As generative AI tools increasingly influence what information people see and trust, evidence literacy, transparency, and collaborative communication become more important than ever.
The day is an opportunity to participate in a conversation about global trends and challenges. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the impact of individuals and organizations worldwide, recognizing the work of dedicated researchers, policymakers and health professionals in improving health outcomes.
Find out what Cochrane is up to this World Evidence-based Healthcare Day
Cochrane videos
Cochrane blogs
- Faster yet reliable systematic reviews with AI: The CESAR study
- Making AI-enabled evidence work for Pakistan
- AI sorted, humans decided
- AI can’t lead evidence synthesis (yet) – perspectives from Cochrane Netherlands
Cochrane events
World Evidence-based Healthcare Day is delivered in partnership by JBI, Cochrane, The Campbell Collaboration, Health Technology Assessment international (HTAi), Guidelines International Network, Africa Evidence Youth League (AEYL), Centre for Evidence-based Health Care, and Instituto Veredas.
