Today, I was following up a press release about a review of clinical trials. The analysis suggests that the cannabinoid receptor antagonist rimonabant could help people quit smoking without gaining weight.
The research was published today in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, a repository of clinical trials data and analyses that is an invaluable resource for those in healthcare, medical research, patient advocacy groups and patients and their carers, the medical media, and others. Anyway, more on the actual story later this month in the summer issue of Reactive Reports.
Now whenever I have needed access to information held in the Cochrane Library database previously, I’ve simply gone through the usual journalist’s route to get at such nuggets. However, the press release pointed out that Cochrane Library publications are also available entirely free of charge to particular groups and to members of the public depending on where you are.
Guest users can access abstracts for all Reviews in the database, but if you live in any of the following places, there are special access points through which you can get publications for free from the Cochrane Collection (either that or the country tag of your computer’s IP address gives you free access:
Australia
New Zealand
Denmark
England
Finland
Ireland
Norway
Scotland
Spain
South Africa
Sweden
Wales
Saskatchewan
Wyoming
So, now you know how to get into the Cochrane Library for free. Of course, if you are in Michigan, Montreal or Moscow you may have to move house.