[Patient care according to the latest state of the science--implications of evidence-based medicine]

Evidence-based medicine implies that recommendations ideally exist for each clinical question based on a systematic data search in the current literature, a data extraction, a summary and critical appraisal. Over the last fifty years evidence-based medicine has been growing rapidly. Systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials are of high impact in this field. However, the question remains: in which way is daily clinical practice affected? In an era of time- and cost-pressures as well as manpower shortages, the complex process of evidence-based medicine is difficult. Examples from perioperative pain therapy are provided to demonstrate how evidence-based medicine could be feasible and incorporated into daily practice.