Table 3.

Benefits and limitations of current types of scientific evidence available in the literature

Type of evidence	Benefits	Limitations
Clinical practice guidelines	Improve the quality of care received by patients Rigor of development Readily available in different versions (full text, pocket, summary cards, etc.) Multidisciplinary team approach Describe the correct timing for surgical/medical procedures	Recommendations may be wrong Are often based on low levels of evidence, especially in the cardiothoracic surgery field Influenced by the task force members Lack of information on new treatments
Expert consensus	Updated on new treatment options Developed by experts in the specific topic Developed following a precise methology Content is expressed schematically	Less likely to include a systematic review of the literature Developement is less rigorous than for guidelines The task force is not multidisciplinary
Registry	Adaptable designs and data collection strategies Examine the impact of physician practice behaviors (not randomized) Include full spectrum of patients with a particular disease	Observational analysis Time-consuming Lower data quality Confounders between different centers involved in the study