Well, dear readers, after 11+ years and almost 700 blogs, it’s time to say goodbye. Many of you will know that Cochrane UK closes at the end of March 2024, with the loss of NIHR funding, and Evidently Cochrane is one of the casualties of this. The site will be removed on 02 April 2024 and we’ll be very sad to see it go. You’ll be able to view an archived version of the website here.
Sarah began the blog in 2012, soon benefitting from the creative input of team mate Holly Millward, who made some of our wilder ideas a reality, such as making Lego videos and filming a pantomime cast (talking about treatments for the common cold) in our quest to share evidence engagingly.
For the past six years, Sarah Chapman and Selena Ryan-Vig have worked together on Evidently Cochrane, with the vital input of our colleague Anne Eisinga, who has provided us with so much of the information that has found its way into the blogs, and of our Fellows and Trainees, who have shared their clinical expertise and turned their hands to blogging. A big thank you also to Martin Burton, our Director from 2011 to 2023, whose enthusiastic encouragement, and permission to experiment, enabled us to do so much with Evidently Cochrane.
It has been such a pleasure and privilege to nurture it, to explore different ways of making Cochrane (and other) evidence accessible and useful to our audiences and, in particular, to share the experiences and reflections with which patients, carers, health professionals and researchers have trusted us. We have learned a great deal from our bloggers; from insights into living with health conditions, challenges for research and innovations in treatments to more unexpected things, such as what matters to people when they share their experiences and how to treat both them and their stories with care. A collection of the blogs which include patient stories will be available in an e-book on the Cochrane Consumers website. You can also follow Sarah’s personal blog ‘From Ear to Eternity‘ and some of the existing Evidently Cochrane blogs are being reproduced there.
Throughout the years, we have carefully considered every aspect of the blogs, and have been committed to using and developing best practices in sharing evidence in this format. We produced content on the sensitive use of language relating to health conditions and made improvements to enhance the accessibility of the website. We also developed a guide for choosing images for sharing alongside evidence, which has been used across Cochrane and is freely available. Images really matter, and they are a vital part of telling the story we want to tell when we share evidence. Some of the most impactful images we have used have been created by people responding to their own health experiences. Special thanks to Karen Morley for the wonderful drawings she has done to illustrate blogs, videos and presentations, including ‘Sea of Google’ which we’ve reused in this blog. Karen said “I made this image to illustrate my initial indiscriminate internet searches for information about my OCD [Obsessive Compulsive Disorder]. It’s authentic: my feeling at the time was that I was drowning in a sea of confusion and misinformation.” Bringing trustworthy and accessible information to people who may feel like they are drowning in a sea of online content, much of it poor or misleading, has been at the heart of our purpose.
It’s hard to measure the impact of Evidently Cochrane and much of that is hidden from view. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the blog was attracting 2.2 million annual visits and our most popular blogs have notched up around 100,000 views. We also know – from so many comments left by readers – that the blogs have helped to guide people in times of uncertainty.
We want to acknowledge the huge contribution that all of our bloggers have made. We are very grateful. We have had a wonderful time working on the blog, and have learned so much. A big thank you also to you, our readers, for being part of our journey.
Evidently Cochrane Editors, Sarah Chapman and Selena Ryan-Vig
Featured image: ‘Sea of Google’ by Karen Morley.
I find it hard to believe that such a valuable resource will not be funded. Thanks for all of the great work
I’m desolate to see the end of this remarkable resource. It so effectively communicated Cochrane evidence to consumers, making it accessible and bringing it to life together with its emotional consequences. It was always warm, engaging, humorous and human. What a dreadful loss.
Thank you, all, for the opportunity to contribute a little to what should have remained a national treasure. A very sad goodbye to everyone at Cochrane UK. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to work with you.
Thank you, Karen, for you support and for your wonderful contributions to Evidently Cochrane over the years. We have loved working with you.
All the very best from Sarah and Selena
So sorry for this to go.. and thank you so much for giving me a way to share my story and hear those of others!!!
Very sad to see this excellent resource go. Thanks for all your hard work. Good luck to the team in your next endeavours.
Very sad to see you go!! Your work has always been relevant, carefully put together and accessible.
Thank you so much for your work over the years. Really sad to see this blog end. I wonder if it is possible to keep a static version online with comments disabled as a useful reference. This shouldn’t be very costly.
Websites archived on archive.org may be difficult to find and often some pages may not be saved.
I have loved your blogs – thank you so much for making Cochrane’s work accessible. Best wishes for inspiring futures. Catherine
Very sad to see Evidently go.It performed a great service, was always accessible and entertaining so that it held to be reader’s attention. Thank you to all involved.