27 Mar 07
Is industry guiding the sepsis guidelines? A perspective
By C G Durbin
Critical Care Medicine 2007; 35: 689-691
Improvements in clinical care require change in both clinicians’ behavior and the systems in which they practice. Information published in peer-reviewed journals and continuing medical education have been the primary methods available to inform physicians and other caregivers of advances in medical practice. The impact of these educational activities is limited, however. In 1999, the Institute of Medicine published a landmark report, To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System. The report identified, in part, a widening gap between what research has demonstrated will improve patient outcomes and clinicians’ actual practice. To improve care and reduce unnecessary variation in clinical practice, professional societies have developed and disseminated evidence-based practice guidelines.