Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- Foreword
- Abbreviations
- SECTION 1 Admission to Critical Care
- SECTION 2 General Considerations in Cardiothoracic Critical Care
- SECTION 3 System Management in Cardiothoracic Critical Care
- SECTION 4 Procedure-Specific Care in Cardiothoracic Critical Care
- SECTION 5 Discharge and Follow-up From Cardiothoracic Critical Care
- SECTION 6 Structure and Organisation in Cardiothoracic Critical Care
- SECTION 7 Ethics, Legal Issues and Research in Cardiothoracic Critical Care
- 69 Patient's perspective
- 70 Ethical management
- 71 Medicolegal issues
- 72 Research
- Appendix Works Cited
- Index
72 - Research
from SECTION 7 - Ethics, Legal Issues and Research in Cardiothoracic Critical Care
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 July 2014
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- Foreword
- Abbreviations
- SECTION 1 Admission to Critical Care
- SECTION 2 General Considerations in Cardiothoracic Critical Care
- SECTION 3 System Management in Cardiothoracic Critical Care
- SECTION 4 Procedure-Specific Care in Cardiothoracic Critical Care
- SECTION 5 Discharge and Follow-up From Cardiothoracic Critical Care
- SECTION 6 Structure and Organisation in Cardiothoracic Critical Care
- SECTION 7 Ethics, Legal Issues and Research in Cardiothoracic Critical Care
- 69 Patient's perspective
- 70 Ethical management
- 71 Medicolegal issues
- 72 Research
- Appendix Works Cited
- Index
Summary
Introduction
Because so many patients in critical care are very unwell, barriers to clinical research are created. Understandably, staff and patients (and their families) may feel that this is not the time for ‘experiments,’ and may be reluctant to deviate from practices thought optimal.
Cardiothoracic critical care is different from general critical care in that many of the admissions are planned and there is greater uniformity in the presentation of patients. On the other hand, the influences of surgery and anaesthesia have to be considered in any research design.
The need for research in critical care
Outcomes in critical care are improved by data-driven, evidence-based medicine (EBM).
Definition
One definition of EBM is that it is the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. The practice of EBM means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research. An important strategy to increase the implementation of EBM is the development and implementation of practice guidelines. This is a publishable form of research in itself that depends on understanding the principles of research in general. The steps involved include:
• Defining the population and intervention of interest;
• Conducting a systematic review of the literature;
• Incorporating other forms of evidence;
• Developing and implementing guidelines; and
• Auditing compliance, and monitoring predefined outcomes before and after the introduction of the guidelines.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Core Topics in Cardiothoracic Critical Care , pp. 510 - 516Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2008