Cochrane does not make clinical recommendations, instead it provides unbiased and high-quality health evidence so that health decisions, policies, and clinical guidelines can be informed by the best available evidence. ‘Cochrane Evidence in Practice’ series collects stories about clinical professionals using Cochrane evidence - the everyday healthcare professional making sure their patients and clients are getting the best care!

Dr. Karla Duque story:

Name: Dr. Karla Duque
Location: Ecuador
"I am an Ecuadorian Medical Doctor with a Masters in Public Health. Cochrane has been with me in every step of my education. I went to university in Ecuador and used problem based learning since the first semester; this is were students learn about a subject through the experience of solving an open-ended problem. The Cochrane Library was the go-to-database for every class; from basic anatomy to different diagnosis and treatment. In Ecuador, I found that health research was pretty sparse, especially out side of the English language. It is great that many of the plain language summaries of Cochrane Reviews are also translated into Spanish.  As I continued my studies in the UK, Cochrane was the main tool for my dissertation, as I tackled my own systematic review.

I am now a full time medical doctor in Ecuador and am happy to have the Cochrane Library as a resource to support me. I strongly believe that Cochrane is one of the most useful places for reliable information. Cochrane has helped me develop my own research skills and helped put me in contact with researchers worldwide."

Cochrane does not make clinical recommendations. ‘Cochrane Evidence in Practice’ series collects stories about clinical professionals using Cochrane evidence. Would you  like to add your story of using Cochrane evidence? Please contact mumoquit@cochrane.org to share your story.