The Cochrane Collaboration: Medicines Best-Kept Secret

"The Cochrane Collaboration... rivals the Human Genome Project in its potential implications for modern medicine." - C. David Naylor, The Lancet "How can we have a rational health service if we don't know which of the things being done in it are useful and which are useless or possibly even harmful?" - Archie Cochrane, in Effectiveness and Efficiency, 1972 What's hocus-pocus and what really works? In the complex, ever-evolving realm of modern medicine, how can you even begin to understand what's hocus-pocus and what really works? Best-selling author and researcher Alan Cassels answers with a single word: Cochrane. Though largely unknown to the public, the Cochrane Collaboration is made up of more than 30,000 medical researchers and consumer representatives from more than 100 countries¿-¿unbiased experts and investigators who parse the science of modern health care and delve deep into the evidence (or lack thereof) to determine what works and what doesn't. In this frank, factual and entertaining volume, Cassels draws from more than 160 interviews to shed light on this international cadre of medical truth-seekers whose rigorous work helps prevent medical misjudgement, reduce unnecessary suffering, preserve lives and circumvent the squandering of billions of dollars. ABOUT THE AUTHOR - ALAN CASSELS Alan Cassels is a University of Victoria health policy researcher and a trusted media commentator on medical policy issues. He is the co-author of the internationally bestselling book "Selling Sickness", and a frequent contributor to magazines, newspapers and radio programs.