In 2004, the Society for Critical Care Medicine and the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine published the “Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines” (SSCG) (Table 13.1). These were endorsed by a number of international organizations and, since publication, there has been a sustained and ongoing campaign to encourage adoption of the SSCG by critical care practitioners worldwide. The aim of this article is to outline some issues in guideline development with reference to these guidelines. A detailed critique of each component of the SSCG is beyond the scope of this article (see further reading), but it is worth using the SSCG for examples of some of the diffi culties inherent in guideline development. The focus of this article will be on United Kingdom practice.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Suggested Reading
Surviving Sepsis Campaign Articles
Beale R, Singer M. Surviving Sepsis Guidelines— Bundles to Adopt? JICS. 2005;6(3):14–16.
Daley RJ, Rebuck JA, Welange LS, et al. The changing demographics of stress ulcer prophylaxis: Prevention of stress ulceration: current trends in Critical care. Crit Care Med. 2004;32(10):2008–2013.
Dellinger RP, Carlet JM, Masur H, et al. Surviving Sepsis Campaign Guidelines for management of severe sepsis and septic shock. Background, Recommendations, and Discussion from and evidence based review. Crit Care Med. 2004;32(11 Suppl).
Discussion of the evidence for steroids in sepsis: http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/329/7464/480 (accessed October 18, 2005).
Landucci D. Critique of SSCG: The surviving sepsis guidelines: Lost in translation. Crit Care Med. 2004;32(7):1598–1600.
van Saene HK, Petros AJ, Ramsay G, et al. All great truths are iconoclastic: selective decontamination of the digestive tract moves from heresy to level 1 truth. Int Care Med. 2003;29(5):677–690.
Viviani M, Silvestri L, van Saene HK, Gullo A. Surviving Sepsis Guidelines: Selective decontamination of the digestive tract still neglected. Crit Care Med. 2005; 33(2):462–463.
Young MP, Manning HL, Wilson DL, et al. Ventilation of patients with acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome: has new evidence changed clinical practice? Crit Care Med. 2004;32(6):1260– 1265.
General Protocol/Guideline Articles
A guide to protocol development: Key steps to developing protocols. NHS Modernisation Agency/NICE. www.srht.nhs.uk/docs/guidance/step2step.pdf (accessed October 18th 2005).
Hammond JJ. Protocols and guidelines in critical care: development and implementation. Curr Op Crit Care 2001;7(6):464–468.
The AGREE tool: http://www.agreecollaboration.org/ (accessed October 18, 2005).
Woolf SH, Grol R, Hutchinson A, et al. Potential bene-fi ts, limitations, and harms of clinical guidelines. BMJ. 1999;318:527–530.
Other Articles
Butler R, Keenan SP, Inman I, et al. Is there a preferred technique for weaning the diffi cult to wean patient? A systemic review of the literature. Crit Care Med. 1999;27(11):2331–2336.
Cochrane Injuries Group Albumin Reviewers. Human albumin administration in critically ill patients: systematic review of randomised controlled trials. BMJ. 1998;317:235–240.
Connors AF, Speroff T, Dawson NV, et al. The effectiveness of right heart catheterization in the initial care of the critically ill. For the SUPPORT Investigators. JAMA. 1996;276:889– 897.
Guidelines for atrial fi brillation: Evidence based guidelines? Bandolier. 102. http://www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/ bandolier/band102/b102-2.html. Accessed October 19, 2005.
Sackett DL. Levels of evidence: Rules of evidence and clinical recommendations on the use of antithrom-botic agents. Chest. 1989;95(2):S2–4.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer-Verlag London Limited
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Nesbitt, I. (2008). Guidelines, Protocols, and the Surviving Sepsis Guidelines: A Critical Appraisal. In: Baudouin, S.V. (eds) Sepsis. Competency-Based Critical Care. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84628-939-2_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84628-939-2_13
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-84628-938-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-84628-939-2
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)