Mindfulness has been growing in popularity across the globe over the past decade, and is increasingly the subject of scientific research into the benefits it may deliver. In 2020, six Monash medical students sought to better understand if and how mindfulness practice could help fellow medical students and junior doctors deal with the significant stresses and demands of their studies and chosen profession.

Earlier this year, a paper in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology argued that ‘the GRADE approach to evidence matters now, perhaps more than ever’. Dr Sue Brennan couldn’t agree more.

Reducing the transmission of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global priority. To this end, public health officials and politicians across the world have been seeking scientific expertise to guide policy. In response, investigators have rushed to share new results on preprint servers, and journals have expedited editorial and peer review processes to publish them.

The National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce, in partnership with the Infection Control Expert Group (ICEG), have published new clinical flowcharts to guide clinicians and trained first aid responders in delivering potentially lifesaving CPR as safely as possible. These include:

Cochrane has published an update to the Rapid Review assessing the effectiveness of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The efforts of Cochrane contributors around the world continue to focus on COVID-19. Cochrane Australia is playing an active role in the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce and continues to collaborate in international efforts to understand, contain and stop the spread of coronavirus.

Every year Cochrane awards members of its Community with a range of prizes that highlight high-quality methodological research through to supporting health decision-making in developing countries, and contributors who have made a significant contribution to the organization. Despite the cancellation of our annual Colloquia this year, nominations are sought for the following awards until Monday 31 August.

With cases of COVID-19 on the rise, many Australians are asking: what happens if I test positive? With no known cure and no vaccine, what are my treatment options?

Ask most people how much alcohol they drank last week, month or year and chances are they’ll have trouble giving you an exact answer – or possibly would prefer not to. Keeping track of consumption is notoriously tricky, drinking habits change over the course of a lifetime, and notions of what constitutes a standard drink vary wildly.

The National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce has completed its weekly update of guidelines for the clinical care of people with COVID-19.The Taskforce has continued to monitor the research on antiviral and other disease-modifying treatments and continues to recommend that hydroxychloroquine and remdesivir should only be used 'in the context of randomised trials with appropriate ethical approval'.