A Strategy for the Renovation of a Clinical Pathways Program

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Clinical Process Improvement
• Evidence-Based Practice Implementation

Background:

• Clinical pathways (CPs) are vital tools for translating evidence into practice, aiming to standardize care and reduce variation.
• A free-standing academic children's hospital initiated a program improvement process for its CPs.
• Key aims included enhancing the development process, addressing gaps, strengthening measurement, and increasing efficiency and utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the renovation of a clinical pathway program at an academic children's hospital.
• To detail the interventions implemented to improve the CP development and utilization process.
• To evaluate the impact of the program renovation on efficiency, scope, and integration.

Main Methods:

• A structured improvement process was employed to renovate the clinical pathway program.
• Interviews with internal stakeholders and external colleagues informed the process.
• Specific interventions were developed and implemented to achieve program aims.

Main Results:

• The streamlined process significantly increased efficiency, reducing median completion time by 70% (from 15 to 5 months).
• The total number of clinical pathways increased by 78% post-renovation, with 26 new pathways added.
• Improvements were noted in pathway development, gap alleviation, measurement inclusion, timely completion, multidisciplinary involvement, EHR integration, and utilization.

Conclusions:

• Renovation of the clinical pathway program yielded substantial improvements in development, efficiency, and utilization.
• Early successes demonstrate the effectiveness of the structured improvement approach.
• Lessons learned offer valuable insights for other institutions seeking to enhance their clinical pathway programs.