Do integrated care pathways have a place in critical care?

Area of Science:

• Critical care medicine
• Healthcare management

Background:

• Quality improvement campaigns in critical care are ongoing.
• Integrated care pathways (ICPs) are established tools for enhancing practice in other medical specialities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the efficacy and potential application of ICPs in critical care.
• To assess the current evidence for ICPs in improving critical care provision.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of published research on ICPs.
• Analysis of ICP implementation in various medical specialities.
• Evaluation of existing critical and perioperative care practices.

Main Results:

• ICPs have demonstrated success in reducing morbidity and improving guideline adherence in other fields.
• ICPs enhance multidisciplinary communication and operational efficiency.
• Elements of ICPs are already integrated into critical and perioperative care.

Conclusions:

• ICPs offer potential benefits for critical care efficiency and quality in specific situations.
• Limited research exists on ICPs specifically within critical care.
• Protocolizing multisystem care in critical illness presents challenges for ICP implementation.