The Cochrane pregnancy and childbirth database. Implications for perinatal care policy and practice in the United States

The Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Database (CCPC) is the most sophisticated realization of the meta-analytic potential within the health fields. At the core of this ongoing collaborative international project are about 600 systematic reviews of the effectiveness of specific forms of perinatal care, which have been created from a registry of clinical trials. The scale and quality of information available through CCPC are unprecedented. An examination of implications of CCPC suggests that many far-reaching changes in perinatal policy and practice are indicated. CCPC has become a model for similar work that is being organized in many other clinical areas under the umbrella of the pan-clinical Cochrane Collaboration, and the experience and implications of CCPC will be of interest to many working in other areas. The implications of these ambitious meta-analytic projects are profound; the degree to which they will be realized is less certain.