DRUGS System Improving the Effects of Clinical Pathways: A Systematic Study

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Clinical Pathways
• Pharmacoeconomics

Background:

• Traditional paper-based clinical pathways (CP) may lack efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
• Optimizing drug usage within clinical pathways is crucial for improving patient care and hospital resource management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the feasibility and impact of a Drugs Rational Usage Guideline System (DRUGS)-supported clinical pathway (CP).
• To assess improvements in work efficiency, medical safety, and hospital cost reduction for specific conditions.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study involving 1773 patients across four conditions: breast carcinoma, cataract, inguinal hernia, and diabetes mellitus.
• Data collected included length of stay (LOS), hospital costs, antibiotic prescriptions, unscheduled surgeries, complications, and prognosis.
• Comparison between paper-based CPs (901 cases) and DRUGS-supported CPs (872 cases).

Main Results:

• DRUGS-supported CPs resulted in a median LOS reduction of 1-3 days (p < 0.05) and significant decreases in total hospital costs.
• A notable reduction in broad-spectrum antibiotic prescription rates was observed in the DRUGS-supported CP group (63.6% to 34.5%, p < 0.01).
• No statistically significant differences were found in unscheduled surgeries, complications, or prognosis between the groups.

Conclusions:

• The transition to a DRUGS-supported electronic clinical pathway system is feasible and beneficial at the hospital level.
• DRUGS-supported CPs enhance efficiency, reduce hospital costs, and optimize antibiotic prescribing for common conditions.
• Further research may explore long-term impacts on patient outcomes and broader clinical applications.