Evidence-based decision making in transfusion medicine

Some of the basic principles behind evidence-based medicine have been known for many years; however, the concept and approach to integrating evidenced-based decision making into clinical practice on a day-to-day basis has only evolved over the past 15 years. This paper focuses on five important steps in evidence-based decision making: (1) the importance of a well-defined question; (2) ways to effectively search the scientific literature; (3) the process of critical appraisal for an article about therapy; (4) the role of clinical expertise, patient values, clinical circumstances and society's expectations in the decision-making process; and (5) continuous quality improvement of the process.