What are the benefits and risks of medication reviews for hospitalised adults?
Several strategies are used to monitor and optimise the use of drugs for hospitalised patients and the Cochrane review of medication review was updated in January 2023. In this podcast, one of the group ’s researchers, Mikkel Christensen, talks with lead author Cille Bülow, both from Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, about their latest findings. (Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library)
Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library - March 6, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Cochrane Source Type: podcasts
House modifications for preventing malaria
Cochrane Infectious Diseases has produced dozens of reviews on the prevention and treatment of malaria. These include interventions, such as drugs, taken by people, as well as some at the level of the environment. One of these looks at house modifications for preventing malaria and we asked lead author, Tilly Fox from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the UK to tell us about the importance of the October 2022 update and its findings. (Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library)
Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library - February 20, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Cochrane Source Type: podcasts
Which is the best treatment for heavy menstrual bleeding?
In May 2022, Cochrane published the first version of an overview and network meta-analysis of interventions for heavy menstrual bleeding, which can affect 20% to 50% of people who menstruate during their reproductive years. There are a variety of treatments available, each with its pros and cons, and the best treatment is likely to depend on several factors, including age, desire to have children, personal preferences and medical history. (Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library)
Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library - February 17, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Cochrane Source Type: podcasts
Are corticosteroids (anti-inflammatory medicines) given orally or by injection an effective treatment for people with COVID-19?
Cochrane has produced a series of reviews relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic and is keeping these up-to-date in light of new evidence. In November 2022, we published the second version of a living systematic review on systemic corticosteroids and, in this podcast, the first authors, Mirko Griesel of the University of Leipzig Medical Center and Carina Wagner of the University Hospital in Cologne in Germany, talk about the evidence they ’ve found and the potential effects of these drugs. (Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library)
Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library - February 13, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Cochrane Source Type: podcasts
Music for insomnia in adults
Insomnia affects many people and a wide range of approaches are taken to try to help with it. One of these involves listening to music and the relevant Cochrane Review was updated in August 2022. Here ' s lead author, Kira Vibe Jespersen from Aarhus University and The Royal Academy of Music Aarhus/Aalborg in Denmark to tell us about the importance of the review and what it found. (Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library)
Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library - February 13, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Cochrane Source Type: podcasts
Is ultrasound guidance a good option for peripheral intravenous cannulation in adults?
The intravenous administration of fluids and drugs, and the drawing of blood samples requires the placing of a catheter or cannula into a vein using a needle in a procedure known as peripheral intravenous cannulation. There are different ways to guide the procedure and a new Cochrane Review from December 2022 looks at the effect of using ultrasound guidance. In this podcast, Edoardo Ostinelli from the University of Oxford talks with lead author Masafumi Tada from Kyoto University in Japan, about the review. (Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library)
Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library - January 27, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Cochrane Source Type: podcasts
Yoga for chronic non-specific low back pain
Low-back pain is a very common problem, and a variety of treatments have been assessed in Cochrane Reviews. In November 2022, we published an update of the 2017 Cochrane review of the effects of yoga for chronic, non-specific low-back pain. The review was led by Susan Wieland of the Cochrane Complementary Medicine Field in the USA, together with colleagues from Canada, Germany and the UK. Here ’s another of the authors on the review, Shireen Harbin from the Institute for Work& Health in Toronto Canada to tell us about the latest findings. (Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library)
Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library - January 24, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Cochrane Source Type: podcasts
Xpert Ultra for diagnosing tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance in children
Most Cochrane Reviews look at the effects of interventions on health, but a growing number provide evidence on how to diagnose a disease. In September 2022, one of these diagnostic test accuracy reviews was updated for a test used to detect tuberculosis in children. The lead author, Alex Kay (left), and co-author, Tara Ness, from the Texas Children ’s Hospital in Houston in the USA, tell us about the importance of the review and its latest findings in this podcast. (Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library)
Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library - January 20, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Cochrane Source Type: podcasts
Additional therapies used with exercise therapy for hip or knee osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the commonest type of arthritis and there are Cochrane reviews for many interventions that might be used to treat it. These were added to in October 2022 with a new review of the effects of using adjunctive therapies along with land-based exercise therapy for osteoarthritis of the hip or knee. In this podcast, podcast editor Mike Clarke speaks with lead author Helen French from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, about the importance of the review and its findings. (Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library)
Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library - January 20, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Cochrane Source Type: podcasts
Blood pressure targets in people with cardiovascular disease
Many people with heart or vascular problems also have high blood pressure, and the latest update of the Cochrane Review of using blood pressure targets in their treatment was published in November 2022. Here ' s lead author, Luis Carlos Saiz from the Navarre Health Service in Pamplona Spain, to tell us about the review and its latest findings. (Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library)
Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library - January 10, 2023 Category: General Medicine Authors: Cochrane Source Type: podcasts
Opioid maintenance medicines for the treatment of dependence on opioid pain medicines
Some patients who take pharmaceutical opioids to treat pain become dependent on them and might need to switch to medications such as opioid agonists. In September 2022, an updated Cochrane Review brought together the relevant evidence and, in this podcast, Addiction Psychiatrist Shalini Arunogiri from Monash University and Turning Point in Melbourne talks with lead author, Suzanne Nielsen (or Suzi) from the Monash Addiction Research Centre in Australia. (Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library)
Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library - December 15, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Cochrane Source Type: podcasts
Which medicines, taken by mouth or injected, work best to treat a skin condition called plaque psoriasis?
The Cochrane Skin Group has produced some of the largest Cochrane reviews, providing a “one stop shop” for people interested in a wide range of interventions for a particular skin condition. One such example is the review of systemic medicines to treat psoriasis, which was updated for the fourth time in May 2022. We asked two of the authors, Laurence Le Cleach, head of the French satellite of the Cochrane Skin group and dermatologist at Henri Mondor hospital, AP-HP in France and Emilie Sbidian, a dermatologist working at the same hospital, to describe the findings. (Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library)
Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library - November 22, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Cochrane Source Type: podcasts
Hydroxyurea (also known as hydroxycarbamide) for people with sickle cell disease
Several Cochrane Reviews evaluate treatments for sickle cell disease, which can cause a huge burden for patients and their families. The review on the effects of hydroxyurea was updated in September 2022 by Angela Rankine-Mullings from the Sickle Cell Unit, Caribbean Institute for Health Research at The University of the West Indies in Jamaica and Sarah Nevitt, from the Department of Health Data Science, University of Liverpool in UK. We asked Angela to outline the need for the review and its latest findings in this podcast. (Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library)
Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library - November 14, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Cochrane Source Type: podcasts
What is the accuracy of different combinations of ultrasound imaging and blood tests to diagnose ovarian cancer in women before and after the menopause?
Hundreds of Cochrane reviews have been published over the last 25 years relevant to the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of cancers, including ovarian cancer. In a new review from July 2022, Clare Davenport, from the University of Birmingham in the UK, and colleagues examined the evidence on the use of multiple tests to detect it and she tells us what they found in this podcast. (Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library)
Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library - November 9, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Cochrane Source Type: podcasts
Do school-based physical activity interventions increase moderate to vigorous physical activity and improve physical fitness among children and adolescents?
Identifying ways to help people be physically active should help improve their health and well-being, and prevent premature deaths. There are several relevant Cochrane reviews and one published in September 2021 looks at school-based programs. Here ' s the review ' s first author, Sarah Neil-Sztramko, from McMaster University in Canada to tell us about the importance of the review and its findings. (Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library)
Source: Podcasts from The Cochrane Library - November 9, 2022 Category: General Medicine Authors: Cochrane Source Type: podcasts
