Early versus late initiation of epidural analgesia for labour

Abstract

The aim of this bi-monthly column is to highlight Cochrane Systematic Reviews of relevance to pregnancy and childbirth and to stimulate discussion on the relevance and implications of the review for practice. The Cochrane Collaboration is an international organisation that prepares and maintains high quality systematic reviews to help people make well-informed decisions about healthcare and health policy. A systematic review tries to search for, appraise and bring together existing research to answer a specific research question. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) is published monthly online. Residents in countries with a national license to The Cochrane Library including the UK and Ireland, can access the Cochrane Library online, free of charge, through www.thecochranelibrary.com.