Translation of clinical trials into clinical practice: use of results in formulating guidelines

The "evidence base" for arrhythmology is enormous and highly variable in quality and relevance. Every day, more information becomes available from basic science, bedside research, randomized trials, structured registries, and clinical experience. It has become critically important to develop methods for collating and synthesizing all of these strands of evidence into a useful and applicable format. The guideline is an increasingly valuable tool for this purpose. Guidelines are constructed in a formal and approved manner such that the evidence is graded and combined to produce appropriately classified practical recommendations. Arrhythmology guidelines now must be funded, implemented, value tested, and regularly revised.