Cochrane exists so healthcare decisions get better.

Cochrane evidence provides a powerful tool to enhance your healthcare knowledge and decision making; regardless as to whether you are a doctor or nurse, patient or carer, researcher or funder. 

All of these individuals are welcome at Cochrane Colloquium in Toronto in 2020, where we gather as a community to promote evidence-informed decision making. This year’s theme ‘Rapid-learning Health Systems,’ has been chosen as approaches apply to all levels of stakeholders and health care (from clinical encounter up to program, organization and system) and across all parts of a system (from home care to primary and specialty care and public health).  

To ensure that all levels of health care decision-makers feel welcome and included, this year’s Colloquium,  being held in Toronto, Canada from October 4-7 will now become a Patients Included Accredited Event.

The choice to make the 2020 Colloquium a Patients Included event also furthers some of the key goals identified in Cochrane’s Strategy to 2020. As Cochrane prepares a new organizational strategy beyond 2020, Cochrane Canada and the 2020 Colloquium will play a key role in launching the next phase of Cochrane’s future growth and sustainability plans. This includes continuing to bring together stakeholders under the common goal of creating better health outcomes for patients.

This is not the first time Cochrane’s annual Colloquium has received the Patients Included accreditation. The 2018 Edinburgh Colloquium was designated Patients Included, with the Cochrane Consumer Network playing a leading role in the facilitation and participation of patients, carers and family members with first-hand experience of a healthcare condition (referred to as Consumers). The Cochrane Consumer Network is a large and growing community of over 1,500 people and in 89 countries worldwide. 

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Important Information: According to its website, The Patients Included charter provides entities with a means of demonstrating their commitment to incorporating the experience and insight of patients into their organizations by ensuring that they are neither excluded nor exploited. Conferences that successfully meet all five of the Charter’s clauses may accredit themselves as Patient Included events. These clauses can be viewed in full on the Patients Included website, but require that the active participation of patients or caregivers in the design, planning and delivery of the Colloquium, the provision of scholarships for patients and carers, and accessibility requirements (including access for virtual participants) is accommodated.