How to develop care pathways: a practical overview of methodological approaches

Care pathways are essential to enhance the organisation of care, optimise resource use and improve patient outcomes, thereby supporting value-based healthcare. As care pathways are increasingly required, there is a need for clear methodological guidance on the identification and visualisation of care pathways. This perspective article provides an overview of methodological approaches to support the identification and visualisation of these care pathways. Two possible methods are described, including co-creation and process mining as well as different visualisation techniques that can be applied for care pathway presentation. Moreover, practical guidance as well as advantages and limitations of each identification method are discussed to further support decision-making.Whether to implement co-creation or process mining, or use a combined approach, depends on several factors, such as the intended purpose and end users of the care pathway, time availability, level of expertise at hand, the structure and quality of the data, as well as stakeholder needs and availability. These considerations will vary for different clinical conditions and care processes involved. With anticipated workforce shortages, rising healthcare costs and increasing prevalence of hybrid and virtual care, delivering efficient, patient-centred and personalised care has become imperative. Consequently, the development of care pathways is essential to eliminate unnecessary interventions or those that do not meaningfully contribute to patient outcomes.