Making it happen: approaches to involving consumers in Cochrane reviews

The core work of the Cochrane Collaboration is the conduct of systematic reviews dealing with important health care questions. It is the policy of the Collaboration to involve consumers in all stages of the review process: from refining and prioritization of research questions through protocol design, to review conduct and ultimately dissemination of results. It has been difficult to achieve consumer involvement across all parts of the Cochrane Collaboration. Different approaches have been tried and different levels of success have been achieved. This article discusses consumer involvement in the Cochrane review process in relation to the 10 key principles that guide the work of the Cochrane Collaboration: collaboration, building on the enthusiasm of individuals, avoiding duplication, minimizing bias, keeping up to date, striving for relevance, promoting access, ensuring quality, continuity, and enabling wide participation.