Conferences
The Centre of Expertise played an active role in the 19th Cochrane Colloquium organised by the Cochrane Collaboration. This is an organisation that specialises in bundling together the best possible scientific evidence in the field of healthcare. Four abstracts about the Centre of Expertise’s different projects and activities were selected for poster presentations.
Publications
The Centre of Expertise publishes articles and reports based on the research and literature studies it has carried out. Last year, for the first aid manual ‘Help! First aid for all’, it collected and examined a number of scientific studies on the optimal body position in oral poisoning cases. This literature search was published in the Emergency Medicine Journal(1). In February, a commentary was published in Phytotherapy Research, commenting the methodology for a systematic review of the use of potato-derived products in a medical context(2). In June 2011 the methodology used and recommendations formulated for the AFAM project were explained in PLoS Medicine(3).
- De Buck E, Van de Velde S. Towards evidence based emergency medicine: best BETs from the Manchester Royal Infirmary. BET 1. Optimal body position in oral poisoning cases. Emerg Med J. 2010 Dec;27(12):952-3
- Van de Velde S, De Buck E, Dieltjens T, Aertgeerts B. Medicinal use of potato-derived products: conclusions of a rapid versus full systematic review. Phytother Res. 2011 May;25(5): 787-788.
- Van de Velde S, De Buck E, Vandekerckhove P, Volmink J. Evidence-based African first aid guidelines and training materials PLoS Med. 2011, Jul;8(7): e1001059
Prizes
Every two years, the Leuven-based non-profit association ‘Ontwikkelingshulp Geneesheren en Apothekers’ (‘Development Assistance for Physicians and Pharmacists’) awards a €2,500 prize to a project that promotes healthcare in developing countries. In October 2011 the association awarded the prize Professor Jozef Vandepitte to the Centre of Expertise, for the AFAM project. The AFAM project is a set of evidence-based first aid guidelines tailored to Africa, which was developed by the Red Cross. The package, which consists of guidelines, educational drawings and photographs is free to use for African Red Cross Societies.
