Chinese Research Center for Clinical Trial Core Outcome Sets (ChiCOS) was established
The Chinese Research Center for Clinical Trial Core Outcome Sets（ChiCOS）was jointly established by Chinese Evidence-based Medicine Center/Cochrane China and Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TUTCM) on July 19, 2019. The center aims to promote researches on core outcome sets and provide methodological support for improving the quality of clinical trials in China.
Unveiling ceremony of Chinese Research Center for Clinical Trial Core Outcome Sets（ChiCOS）
Prof.Youping Li, founding director of Chinese Evidence-based Medicine Center/Cochrane China and editor-in-chief of Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine (JEBM), Prof.Qinghe Li, leader of TUTCM, Prof.Junhua Zhang, director of Evidence-Based Medicine Center at TUTCM, and Dr.Liang Du, executive editor-in-chief of JEBM attended the unveiling ceremony.
Youping Li emphasized the importance of researches on COS. The efficacy and safety of drugs, medical devices and various clinical treatments should be evaluated through clinical trials, which depends on the measurement and analysis of appropriate outcome measures. Whether the outcomes are scientific, reasonable and important directly affects the value of clinical trials. Therefore, outcome is one of the most important elements in clinical trials. ChiCOS will make efforts in promoting dissemination of research methods on COS, training researchers, and developing more COS in special conditions.
Junhua Zhang introduced that insufficient recognition of outcome measures and the lack of methodological guidance led many problems in past clinical trials. The effective way to solve the outcome problems of clinical trials is to develop core outcome sets for each condition.
Liang Du said, The Core Outcome Sets (COS) of clinical trials should follow certain technical process and norms. The COMET, a specialized international academic organization has suggested initiative for promoting the development of COS worldwide. ChiCOS will follow the COMET initiative to promote COS developing in China.
Evidence-Based Medicine at TUTCM is the first team in China to carry out COS research and has academic exchanges with the COMET. TUTCM has completed the first core outcome set of TCM for stable angina pectoris and published a series of papers to introduce methods for developing COS.
“ChiCOS will adhere to the concept of collaboration, innovation and sharing to promote the faster development of COS in China”, Junhua Zhang said. The main tasks of ChiCOS mainly include seven aspects: (1) Establishing a Chinese COS research registration and publication platform; (2) Strengthening academic exchange with COMET and other domestic and foreign academic organizations; (3) To collect and disseminate international COS research methods and achievements; (4) Training COS researchers and students; (5) To develop technical specifications and support systems for COS studies in efficacy, safety and secondary research in China; (6) To promote COS research in various diseases in China; (7) To research and develop special outcomes that can reflect the clinical advantages of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
The first training course of methods for developing core outcome sets in clinical trials was held on 20 July, 2019. About 80 representatives from universities and hospitals attended the training course.