Cochrane Evidence Synthesis Unit Germany/UK - Sub-Unit Düsseldorf

As an evidence synthesis team at the Institute of General Practice (ifam) of the Centre for Health and Society (chs) of the Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, we specialise in planning and conducting systematic reviews and all other forms of evidence synthesis. Our team has supported the need for evidence syntheses from key national and international stakeholders, including, but not limited to, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the German Network of University Medicine (NUM), the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), the Association of the Scientific Medical Societies in Germany (AWMF) and the World Health Organisation (WHO)).

Our systematic reviews have historically focused on metabolic and endocrine disorders, primarily obesity and diabetes. In recent years, however, we have expanded our work to include systematic reviews and evidence syntheses on various topics related to primary care, surgery, infectious diseases (including COVID-19 and tuberculosis), critical care and planetary health. Our methods encompass classic reviews on the effectiveness of interventions (including pair-wise and network meta-analyses), rapid reviews, prognosis reviews, prevalence and comprehensive ‘big picture’ reviews, such as scoping reviews and evidence gap maps. Our team is also involved in research on review methodology (meta-epidemiological research and methods development), and we are part of the GRADE Working Group. We are committed to patient-centred care and the co-production of reviews as part of Cochrane’s Consumer Engagement and Involvement Framework.

Our evidence synthesis team has been part of Cochrane since 1999 when Prof. Michael Berger and Prof. Bernd Richter from the Department of Metabolic Diseases and Nutrition at Heinrich-Heine University in Düsseldorf founded the Cochrane Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders (CMED) review group (see more info here). From 2000 to 2024, the CMED group was one of the more than 50 Cochrane Review Groups that prepared systematic reviews on the benefits and harms of healthcare interventions. In line with Cochrane´s new model for producing evidence syntheses initiated in 2022 (the Future of Evidence Synthesis), the group was granted status as the Cochrane Evidence Synthesis Unit (ESU) Germany/UK - Sub-Unit Düsseldorf under the leadership of Dr. Juan Franco in 2024.

Cochrane is an independent, diverse, global network of researchers, professionals, patients, carers and people interested in health. Cochrane members collaborate to produce trusted synthesised evidence, make this accessible to all people worldwide, and advocate for its use. Cochrane's vision is a world of better health for all people where decisions about health and care are informed by high-quality evidence. Cochrane´s work is internationally recognised as the benchmark for high-quality information about the effectiveness of health care.