Systematic reviews are key to evidence-informed decisions but can be a long and challenging read. Working in trial methods, Trial Forge work done a few years ago found that most trial designers were unaware of systematic reviews on what might improve recruitment. The same is no doubt true for other trial processes. What the people we spoke really wanted was information on what is it, does it work and should I use it. This was the basis for Trial Forge Evidence packs, which take their starting point in systematic reviews but then provide key information in a simple 2-page standard format. The packs also provide resources to support implementation and evaluation of the intervention. This talk will describe Trial Forge Evidence Packs and discuss ways in which they are being linked to systematic reviews and other resources to provide a simpler way for people to get up-to-date best evidence on intervention effects.
Prof Shaun Treweek, University of Aberdeen, is a health services researcher interested in efficient trial design, particularly around recruitment and retention and the effective presentation of research evidence. He also helped to develop PRECIS-2, a tool to match trial design decisions to the information needs of those intended to use the results. He leads an initiative called Trial Forge (http://www.trialforge.org) that aims to be more systematic about how we identify, generate and use research evidence in making trial design, conduct, analysis and reporting decisions. In 2019 Trial Forge won the international Cochrane-REWARD Prize for outstanding work in reducing waste in research. Finally, Shaun is an Editor-in-Chief of the journal Trials.