Challenges in Implementing Evidence-based Medicine

Medical knowledge increases rapidly, making it difficult for clinicians to update their practice to allow the incorporation of new advances in care. Arguably the largest deficiency in modern health care is the frequent failure to adhere to evidence-based best practices [1]. These are practices related to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease that have been demonstrated to improve clinically relevant outcomes. Effective interventions fostering best practices are particularly important in critical care services. Progress in most areas of healthcare is leading to a large number of patients living longer and with increasingly complex combinations of diseases and new treatments. Within hospitals, intensive care units (ICUs) are one of the most costly types of care offered, with medical-surgical ICUs accounting for 45 % of admissions to special care units [2].