The Cochrane Pre-hospital and Emergency Care (Cochrane PEC) was registered as a new Cochrane entity (Field) on the 23 August 2004. It was located in Australia under the direction of Frank Archer until March 2011. The Cochrane PEC has been re-registered on the 2 May 2012 and is located in Paris, France under the direction of Patricia Jabre.

The establishment of the Cochrane PEC was proposed to meet the growing need for evidence-based practice in the pre-hospital and emergency health environment.

The aims of the Cochrane PEC include: 

1. To act as a liaison point with the “Cochrane” and “Cochrane Review Groups" (CRGs) identified as conducting reviews potentially relevant to pre-hospital and emergency health care.

2. To identify areas of pre-hospital and emergency health care as priority areas for the preparation and maintenance of systematic reviews.

3. To identify sources of funding to support the activities of the Field and CRGs.

4. To promote the aims of the Field among pre-hospital and emergency health care practitioners by recruiting members, engaging stakeholders and identifying potential reviewers.