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| Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group |
| Formation | 1996 |
| Purpose | Systematic reviews on pregnancy and childbirth |
| Headquarters | Oxford |
| Region served | Global |
| Parent organization | Cochrane |
Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group is a specialist review group producing systematic reviews of interventions for pregnancy, childbirth, obstetrics, midwifery and perinatal care. It synthesises evidence to inform policy and practice in contexts such as World Health Organization, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, United States Preventive Services Task Force, United Nations Children's Fund. The group contributes to guideline development used by agencies including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.
The group produces systematic reviews following standards set by Cochrane Collaboration, PRISMA, GRADE Working Group, International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, World Health Organization. Reviews address interventions across antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal periods and target outcomes used by Global Burden of Disease Study, Lancet, BMJ (journal), New England Journal of Medicine. The output informs clinical practice cited by organizations such as NHS (England), Health Canada, Australian Department of Health, Ministry of Health (Brazil).
Founded within the structure of the Cochrane Collaboration in the 1990s, the group built on earlier systematic review traditions exemplified by figures like Archie Cochrane, Iain Chalmers, Richard Doll, Austin Bradford Hill. It expanded during global public health initiatives including Millennium Development Goals, Every Woman Every Child, Sustainable Development Goals and responded to major perinatal research developments such as the Vaginal Birth After Caesarean literature and trials like Cochrane review of routine episiotomy-era works. The group's milestones include protocol standardisation influenced by Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and incorporation of trial registries such as ClinicalTrials.gov, ISRCTN registry, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform.
Reviews cover topics like induction of labour, caesarean section, antenatal corticosteroids, pre-eclampsia prevention, postnatal depression interventions, breastfeeding support and newborn resuscitation. Methods employ systematic search strategies across databases such as PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, CINAHL and use meta-analytic techniques popularised in works by John Ioannidis, Doug Altman, Bradford Hill. Risk of bias assessment follows tools from Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool, later revisions influenced by RoB 2, while evidence grading aligns with GRADE. The group publishes protocols, updates and plain-language summaries for stakeholders including World Health Organization guideline panels, Unicef, Médecins Sans Frontières and national guideline developers like SIGN.
Influential reviews include syntheses on induction versus expectant management cited in NICE guidance, antenatal corticosteroids cited in WHO recommendations, magnesium sulfate for neuroprotection informing American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists statements, and interventions for preventing postpartum haemorrhage referenced by FIGO and ICM. Reviews have altered practice in contexts such as Kenya, India, United Kingdom, United States, and influenced trials like ALPS trial-style research and policy documents from Global Financing Facility. Impact is measurable through citations in journals like The Lancet, BMJ, Obstetrics & Gynecology (The Green Journal), and by incorporation into clinical pathways at institutions including Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital.
The group is structured with editorial teams, managing editors and editorial boards working within the Cochrane framework and reporting to the Cochrane Governing Board, interacting with the Cochrane Executive Team. Governance follows policies influenced by World Health Organization guidance on evidence synthesis and transparency principles seen in entities like National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Editorial decisions are guided by protocols, peer review and conflict-of-interest declarations consistent with practices used by The BMJ and PLOS Medicine.
It collaborates with an array of partners including academic centres such as University of Oxford, University of Melbourne, Harvard University, University of Toronto, University of Edinburgh; professional bodies like Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, International Confederation of Midwives; and funders and implementers such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Health Organization, UNICEF, PATH. Partnerships extend to networks running trials and registries such as Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research and data initiatives exemplified by DHS Program.
Funding sources have included governmental research councils like National Institute for Health Research, philanthropic organisations such as Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and institutional support from universities including University of Oxford and LSHTM. Publication and access follow Cochrane policies that balance open access imperatives endorsed by Plan S, Wellcome Trust and publisher agreements with journals like Wiley-Blackwell. Data sharing and transparency reflect standards promoted by NIH, European Commission research programmes and trial registration norms from ICMJE.
Category:Systematic review organizations