Category: News

Hans Lund has written a blog post introducing the concept of Evidence-Based Research. It is available on the BMJ Clinical Evidence Blog.

Too much health and medical research may be unnecessary, unethical, unscientific, and wasteful, warns new network

Researchers, research funders, regulators, sponsors and publishers of research fail to use earlier research when preparing to start, fund or publish the results of new studies. To embark on research without systematically reviewing evidence of what is already known, particularly when the research involves people or animals, is unethical, unscientific, and wasteful.

To address this problem a group of Norwegian and Danish researchers have initiated an international network, the ‘Evidence-Based Research Network’ (EBRNetwork). The EBRNetwork brings together initial partners from Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, the UK, and USA, and was established in Bergen, Norway in December 2014.

At the ‘Bergen meeting’ partners agreed the aim of the EBRNetwork is to reduce waste in research by promoting:

No new studies without prior systematic review of existing evidence
Efficient production, updating and dissemination of systematic reviews

The EBRNetwork now issues a call for interested individuals and organizations to join the EBRNetwork and work together in developing a consensus statement to address this challenge to the very heart and values of research.

To become a member of the EBRNetwork please contact info@ebrnetwork.org

http://ebrnetwork.org
Follow us on Twitter @EBRNetwork

For further information:
[Hans Lund, Professor, +45 257 211 25, hans.lund@ebrnetwork.org]

The EBRNetwork proudly presents its official logo.

All credit goes to Sarah Rosenbaum at the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services for making it happen.

On the 4^th of February Professor Hans Lund, chairman of the EBRNetwork, gave a presentation on the topic “Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice in research” at the Nordic Conference on Implementation of Evidence-Based Practice. He discussed the scientific ideal, and the general assumption that no one would publish a paper without referring to earlier published scientific results. He also pointed out that the evidence clearly shows that many unnecessary trials are being carried out even after a consensus has been reached. As a solution, he presented the EBRNetwork and its devotion to reducing waste in research by promoting:

• No new studies without prior systematic review of existing evidence
• Efficient production, updating and dissemination of systematic reviews

His presentation is available here.

The founding meeting was followed by an open seminar on the 3rd of December at Bergen University College where the problems arising when researchers are not using systematic reviews before conducting new research were discussed. The invited speakers were researchers, patients, ethical committee members, research funders and editors – all with their separate views regarding this very important topic and it led to many interesting discussions. That the issue of waste in research needs to be addressed was, however, indisputable.

 

 

 

On the 1st and 2nd of December 2014 The Evidence-Based Research Network had its founding meeting in Bergen, Norway. Participants from Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, the UK, and USA, discussed and planned to establish an international network for evidence-based research.

Participants were: Klara Brunnhuber, Kjetil Gundro Brurberg, Iain Chalmers, Robin Christensen, Donna Ciliska, Maureen Dobbins, Thea Marie Drachen, Mette Brandt Eriksen, Birgitte Espehaug, Paul Glasziou, Gro Jamtvedt, Majbritt Ursula Johansen, Carsten Juhl, Marlies Leenaars, Hans Lund, Malcolm Macleod, Mona Nasser, Monica Wammen Nortvedt, Hanna Nykvist, Karen Robinson,  Matt Westmore.

At the end of the meeting a Steering Group was established.

The Evidence-Based Research Network