Systematic reviews, economic evaluations, and practice guidelines: can research synthesis help us care for the critically ill?

Blending the art and science of medicine in the ICU setting is a growing challenge, given modern technological advances, spiraling healthcare costs, and the need to carefully consider evidence from the biomedical literature in our practice. Rather than keeping up to date with all primary research relevant to critical care, intensivists are increasingly seeking synthetic research to help with their day-to-day decision-making. Synthetic research includes systematic reviews, practice guidelines, and economic evaluations. These publications can address questions of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and/or palliation, thereby helping intensivists to integrate the results of sound research at the bedside.