Kentucky Society of Anesthesiologists

Highlights From The Annual Spring Meeting 2009
Masroor Alam, MD, MPH

Problems with Guidelines:

“Evidence based best practices not only target improved outcome but are also geared towards enhancing the process in delivery of medical care," said Dr. John H. Eichhorn, Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of Kentucky (UK).  The title of his talk at the Annual Spring Meeting of Kentucky Society of Anesthesiologists held in Covington, Kentucky at the Marriot River Center was “Problems with Guidelines.”

According to Eichorn (2009) guidelines are a natural offshoot of evidence based medicine (EBM).  The scope of medical knowledge is expanding and the practice is increasingly complex.   Therefore, it may be valid to use guidelines based on EBM to help direct physician's efforts and improve outcome.  Guidelines appear to have a positive impact on quality and safety of care.  Anesthesiology as a specialty has been on the forefront of this effort, starting with the introduction of monitoring standards.