LAUSR

Increasing amounts of data are published in medical journals every year, making it challenging for physicians to stay up to date with every aspect of their profession. Thus, in our constantly changing medical world, reviews, meta-analyses and guidelines are necessary to assist physicians in their decision-making processes by condensing, summarising and interpreting the evidence. In recent years, the European journal of Anaesthesiology has published guidelines on preoperative fasting, management of severe perioperative bleeding and cardiovascular assessment and management in noncardiac surgery. In this editorial, we describe why the translation of recommendations from clinical practice guidelines into changes in clinical practice is difficult and can be protracted.