Resources for Applying Evidence-Based Medicine in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Abstract

Evidence-based medicine is an approach to practicing medicine in which the clinician is aware of the evidence in support of her practice and the strength of that evidence. It requires daily application of systematic methods for finding, appraising, and incorporating the best available evidence in the care of individual patients. The evidence-based medicine approach compliments and enhances clinician expertise. It helps clinicians put the burgeoning medical literature into perspective. This article outlines the rationale of evidence-based medicine and lists resources for learning this approach and for finding repositories of evidence applicable to the critically ill pediatric population. We address the unique challenges posed by the smaller populations typically evaluated in pediatric critical care and practical constraints of incorporating evidence-based medicine into the fast-paced practice of critical care.