Cochrane Insurance Medicine: looking back, looking forward

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Research in the field of insurance medicine (IM) has increased in a number of countries stimulated by the recognition of IM as a specialty with particular broad research needs. In several countries, research lines have been established in the areas of IM or disability evaluation, such as the Dutch Research Center for Insurance Medicine, the unit Evidence-based Insurance Medicine, Research & Education (EbIM) at the University of Basel in Switzerland, and the Division of Insurance Medicine at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. In the past decade, the principles of evidence-based medicine (EBM) have been implemented in both research and education, and many EBM enthusiasts are involved in Cochrane. Five years ago, these developments led to the creation of the field Cochrane Insurance Medicine (CIM) by researchers from Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Canada. Since then, CIM's aim has been to make IM more evidence- based, promoting the production and use of scientific evidence to support IM practice.¹ CIM has also become a platform for IM researchers and professionals to connect and collaborate. In celebration of the 5-year existence of CIM (CIM Jubilee Symposium), we reflect on some of the developments in CIM and present projects and opportunities for the years to come. …