The Cochrane Musculoskeletal Injuries Group.

Abstract

Science and technology relevant to orthopaedic practice have expanded rapidly in the last Ž fty years. This has been accompanied by information overload. The number of journals in which relevant material might be found is now numbered in hundreds; individual practitioners cannot read and make sense of all the material. Also, much of that material, although informative in other ways, does not help practitioners to make informed choices between alternative approaches. This poses challenges, not only for health professionals, but for health care planners and funders, who look to these professionals for advice on what services should be provided and how. Over the last decade, various initiatives have been established in most developed countries to identify clinically effective health care interventions. Many of these are collaborating internationally to prevent duplication, given the scale of the agenda. One important international effort to promote effective health care is the Cochrane Collaboration. This paper brie y describes the work of the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Injuries Group (CMSIG), draws attention to a range of electronic and other evidence sources which are also relevant to orthopaedic practice, and discusses some issues around the conduct of surgical trials.