Resuscitation guidelines 2005: Translating evidence into practice and its impact on care

Abstract

Evidence-based health care is fundamental to both practice innovation and improvement in the quality of patient outcomes. The publication of the guidelines from the 2005 International Consensus Conference on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science With Treatment Recommendations is another important step forward for the critical care community. They are able to target improvements in health technologies and improve knowledge development underpinning clinical practice crucial in the prevention of premature death related to cardiac arrest. This article focuses on changes to previous guidelines in resuscitation practice, providing the rationale for changes and illustrating how the consensus process creates clinician confidence when implementing recommendations into practice. Translating evidence into every day practice remains challenging. The extensive national training programmes of the Resuscitation Council (UK) and the Advanced Life Support Group in basic, immediate and advanced life support provide an ideal tool that facilitates the use of best evidence, thus leading to improvements in patient outcome and care.