IMPACT OF TRIALS ON CLINICAL PRACTICE: INTERVENTIONS IN SEPTIC SHOCK PATIENTS BETWEEN 2005 AND 2013

Evidence based medicine [EBM] at bedside, a key healthcare quality measure, refers to the compendium for delivering optimum clinical care by balancing benefit-harm-costs. EBM involves appraisal, interpretation and implementation with adoption of beneficial interventions and de-adoption of interventions with potential harm. Our hypothesis from Niven et al [1] where the reversal of intervention effect was not associated with timely de-adoption, is that for a rapid change in clinical practice perceived cost [monetary or clinical harm] attributable to the intervention must be high. Tight glucose control [TGC] and corticosteroids are examples of nonproprietary and recombinant Activated protein C [rt-APC] an example of proprietary intervention with reversal of effect between publications, from benefit to harm. All three interventions were part of the Surviving Sepsis Campaign [SSC] EBM [2].