Using Systematic Reviews to Inform Decision Makers

This scenario is a representation of current reality in many settings. Whether faced with purchasing new technology, organizing programs of care, or determining the optimal number of beds and human resources to provide care to the critically ill patient, there is little, if any, substantive evidence that decision makers at the local hospital, regional, or system level appeal to the findings of scientific research to guide them in their decision making. In this chapter ‘decision makers’ refer to those providers and managers concerned about the organization and effect of health care services on individuals and populations. Depending on the context, they may be physicians or may include hospital managers or governmental bureaucrats. Perhaps distinct from the typical provider-patient relationship, these decision makers emphasize the effects and/or provision of services to ‘groups’ of patients rather than just to an individual patient. This perspective is important to consider when translating the results of research evidence into practice and, as will be discussed later, systematic reviews meet the challenges of this unique perspective.