Clinical Pathway
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Clinical Pathways (Care Pathways, Critical Pathways, Integrated Care Pathways) are one of the main tools used to manage the quality in healthcare concerning the standardization of care processes. It has been proved that their implementation allow to reduce the variability in clinical practice. Clinical Pathways aim to promote organised and efficient patient care based on the best evidence and guidelines.
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[edit] Definition of Clinical Pathway
Multidisciplinary management tool based on healthcare plans for a specific group of patients with a predictable clinical course, in which the different tasks by the professionals involved in the patient care are defined, optimized and sequenced.
[edit] History
The clinical pathway concept appeared for the first time at the New England Medical Center (Boston,USA) in 1985 inspired by Karen Zander and Kathleen Bower. Clinical Pathways appeared as a result of the adaptation of the documents used in Industrial Quality Management, the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), whose goals are:
- Improve efficiency in the use of resources.
- Finish work in a set time.
[edit] Selection Criteria
- Prevalent pathology within the care setting
- Pathology with a significant risk for patients
- Pathology with a high cost for the hospital
- Predicatble clinical course
- Pathology well defined and that permits a homogeneous care
- Existence of recommendations of good practices or experts opinions
- Unexplained variability of care
- Possibility of obtaining professional agreement
- Multidisciplinary implementation
- Motivation by professionals to work on a specific condition
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- History of Clinical Pathways
- Karen Zander and Kathleen Bower, Nursing Case Managment, Blueprint for Transformation, 1987
