[Clinical pathways: effective and efficient inpatient treatment]

The new hospital funding system based on a diagnosis-related group (DRG) system and the economic competition involved require large-scale changes in hospital structures and processes. Clinical pathways are multidisciplinary plans of best clinical practice for specified groups of patients with a particular diagnosis that aid the coordination and delivery of high quality care. The clinical pathway originally used in the USA and Australia was aimed at shortening the hospital stay and reducing healthcare costs, which has become an increasingly important issue in medicine. Furthermore, it is an appropriate tool to standardize medical care and increase patient satisfaction. Clinical pathways are able to standardize care for patients with a similar diagnosis, procedure, or symptom. There are four essential components of a clinical pathway: a timeline, the categories of care or activities and their interventions, intermediate- and long-term outcome criteria, and the variance record. In contrast to practice guidelines, protocols, and algorithms, clinical pathways are utilized by a multidisciplinary team and focus on quality and coordination of care.