A Strategy for the Renovation of a Clinical Pathways Program

Abstract

Introduction: Clinical pathways (CPs) translate best available evidence to the local care context and intend to inform clinical decision-making, optimize care, and decrease variation. This article describes a CPs program improvement process at a free-standing academic children's hospital. Aims: (1) improve the pathway development process; (2) identify and address gaps; (3) strengthen measurement; (4) increase efficiency in cycle time to build a pathway; (5) increase multidisciplinary participation; (6) integrate into the electronic health record ; and (7) and increase pathway utilization.

Methods: We renovated the CP program using a structured, improvement process. A series of internal stakeholder and external colleague interviews informed the process. To improve the program, we developed and implemented different interventions.

Results: The streamlined process reduced the overall time for completion from a median of 15 to 5 months (measured from the date of first meeting with the clinical improvement team to approval), a 70% increase in efficiency. Between 1994 and 2015, the hospital had 33 CPs. There was a 78% increase in the total number of pathways after the renovation with 26 additional pathways.

Conclusions: Renovation of the CP program led to early success through an improved development process, alleviation of programmatic gaps, inclusion of measures within each pathway, increased timely completion, multidisciplinary involvement, integration into the electronic health record, and improved utilization. Initial results are encouraging, and the lessons learned should be helpful to other programs. Further program development is ongoing, focusing on continued improvements in implementation and overall program measures.

Fig. 1.

Clinical pathway development timeline for new pathways.

Fig. 2.

Clinical pathway development process map for new pathways.