Assessing clinical path effectiveness: a model for evaluation

Clinical paths are being developed in response to the current push to decrease healthcare costs while maintaining high quality care. Literature supports clinical path evaluation results, but few articles address a systematic evaluation process. The purpose of this article is to present a five-step evaluation model that can be followed in determining the effectiveness of clinical paths. The goal of the evaluation process is to provide reliable information and to translate the information into changes in healthcare. The article contains a graphic representation of the model, an explanation of each step, and activities to be performed.