READ-IT

Cochrane Reviews on COVID-19 by the READ-It team

Cochrane Reviews on Malaria by the READ-It team

Cochrane Reviews on neglected tropical diseases by the READ-It team

Cochrane Reviews on tuberculosis by the READ-It team

Cochrane Reviews on maternal and child health by the READ-It team

Cochrane Reviews on HIV/AIDS by the READ-It team

Cochrane Reviews on Diarrhoea by the READ-IT team

The Research, Evidence and Development Initiative (READ-It) is an accountable grant funded by UK aid through the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) (project number 300342-104) and runs from 2018 to 2024. READ-It builds upon the previous work of the UK aid-funded Effective Health Care Research Consortium (EHCRC) (grant number 5242). Visit the archived EHCRC website to find out more about EHCRC’s work from 2009-2018.

READ-It inception meeting, Cape Town, Jan 2019

High-quality systematic reviews are key to informing FCDO policies and health-related sustainable development goals, and are exactly what READ-It will produce. These systematic reviews are carefully conducted assessments of the reliable research evidence, and are sifted, appraised, and summarized. Each review has a specific research question, often related to the effects of an intervention or policy for the health of poor people. This new initiative will allow READ-It to identify topics, assemble multidisciplinary review teams, produce and quality assure the reviews, disseminate the findings, and update the reviews as new evidence emerges.

What we do

About READ-It

Over the past 20 years there has been a concerted effort to use reliable evidence in making decisions about health care. READ-It aims to improve the evidence base and ensure its dissemination.

READ-It Partners

The READ-It Partners have significant experience engaging in national and international policy debate and awareness-raising activities in their areas of expertise.

Key achievements

Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group, UK

Norwegian satellite of the Cochrane EPOC group

South African Partners

EPPI Centre, UCL Institute of Education, UK

University of Colombo, Sri Lanka

The Union, South East Asia

Birat Nepal Medical Trust

University of Zambia - Partner in Years 1-2 (April 2019-March 2021)

Campbell South Asia - Partner in Year 1 (April 2019-March 2020)

Latest Publications

20 May 2022

Update: Signs and symptoms to determine if a patient presenting in primary care or hospital outpatient settings has COVID‐19

This review update (original version published 7 July 2020) examines how accurate diagnosis of COVID‐19 is, based on symptoms and signs from medical examination. The review authors were interested in people with suspected COVID‐19, who go to their doctor, outpatient test centres, or hospital.

Cochrane Systematic Review: UPDATE

19 May 2022

Xpert MTB/XDR for detection of pulmonary tuberculosis and resistance to isoniazid, fluoroquinolones, ethionamide, and amikacin

How accurate is Xpert MTB/XDR for detecting pulmonary tuberculosis and resistance to tuberculosis drugs (i.e. isoniazid, fluoroquinolones, ethionamide, and amikacin) in adults?

Cochrane Systematic Review: NEW

18 May 2022

Is routine Vitamin A supplementation still justified for children in Nepal? Trial synthesis findings applied to Nepal national mortality estimates

The World Health Organization has recommended Vitamin A supplementation for children in low- and middle-income countries for many years to reduce child mortality. Nepal still practices routine Vitamin A supplementation. The authors examined the potential current impact of these programs using national data in Nepal combined with an update of the mortality effect estimate from a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Peer-reviewed article

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