The role of developing countries in generating Cochrane meta-analyses in the field of pediatrics (neonatology and neuropediatrics): a systematic analysis.

Background: There is a lack of up-to-date, systematic reviews that critically assess the role and potential limitations of evidence-based medicine and systematic Cochrane reviews originating in developing countries.

Methods: We performed a systematic literature review of all Cochrane reviews published between 1997 and 2010 by the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group (CNRG) in the field of neuropediatrics. The main outcome parameter of our review was the assessment of the percentage of reviews that originated in developing countries and the number of reviews that provided conclusive/ inconclusive data.

Systematic Cochrane reviews in neonatology: a critical appraisal.

Background: There is a lack of up-to-date, systematic reviews that critically assess the role and potential limitations of evidence-based medicine (EBM) and systematic reviews in neonatology.

Methods: We performed a systematic literature review of all Cochrane reviews published between 1996 and 2010 by the Cochrane Neonatal Review Group (CNRG). Main outcome parameter: assessment of the percentage of reviews that concluded that a certain intervention provides a benefit, the percentage of reviews that concluded that no benefit was seen, and the percentage of studies that concluded that the current level of evidence is inconclusive.

Role of Cochrane reviews in pediatric neurology.

Evidence-based medicine in pediatric neurology is considered an important contributor to the best quality of care. We performed a literature review of all Cochrane reviews from 1996-2010 in pediatric neurology. Some reviews concluded that a certain intervention provided benefits, some concluded that certain interventions should not be performed, and some concluded that the current level of evidence was inconclusive.