The prognosis for pathways: a study of clinical path trends in health care

In the late spring of 1995, Charlotte NC-based Decision Support Systems and Andersen Consulting launched a survey designed to collect information on implementation of clinical pathways at hospitals around the United States. The purpose of the survey was to understand the prevalence of clinical paths, the process hospitals use to develop and implement paths, and the level of automation in place to support them. Of the 1,100 surveys distributed, approximately 17 percent were returned. Geographical distribution of survey respondents was coast-to-coast, with the strongest responses from California and Florida. The results of the survey are reprinted here in their entirety. Additional commentary by Editor Craig Havighurst appears in the gray sidebar.