A Method to Evaluate Critical Factors for Successful Implementation of Clinical Pathways

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Clinical Informatics
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Clinical pathways (CPs) are intended to enhance evidence-based care quality and efficiency.
• However, many CP initiatives face implementation challenges and fail to achieve desired outcomes.
• A systematic evaluation of critical success factors (CSFs) is needed to improve CP implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a methodology for evaluating CSFs in CP implementation.
• To identify key factors that contribute to the success or failure of CP initiatives.
• To provide a tool for healthcare organizations to proactively manage CP implementation.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature review and expert interviews were conducted to identify potential CSFs.
• A fuzzy Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) approach was applied to analyze field study data from clinical experts.
• This method visualizes causal relationships between CSFs and quantifies their influence levels.

Main Results:

• Twenty-three CSFs for CP implementation were identified.
• The study established a cause-and-effect model integrating diverse expert perceptions.
• The analysis revealed the direct and indirect relationships and influence levels of these CSFs.

Conclusions:

• The proposed methodology systematically evaluates CSFs, highlighting their relative importance.
• This approach enables the identification and mitigation of common causes of CP implementation failure.
• Healthcare organizations can utilize this tool for more effective and proactive management of clinical pathway implementation.