Managing and understanding variances in clinical path methodology: a case study

Clinical path is a tool to improve efficiency. The increasing use of this methodology is evidenced by the proliferation of literature documenting its usage. A search of Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) alone yielded over 38 articles related to clinical path. This trend of using clinical path to manage patient care is also evident from the recent literature in Australia. However, the literature has been silent on the documentation, interpretation and management of the variances. The purpose of this paper is to describe our three years' experience with clinical path management. Some examples of the variances we have experienced in the cardiac unit will be discussed.