In many diseases or treatment categories order triage protocols or sets define a set of care standards that a healthcare team will employ to provide top-quality patient care. These are often created by a group or committee that has an interest in the area.
In the context of integrative medicine the same standardized procedures are referred to as “care pathways.” They are intended to improve the quality of care as well as coordination or cooperation between professionals, and efficiency. They also hope to improve patient satisfaction and decrease costs.
They are used in a variety of settings which include outpatient and inpatient clinics, hospitals, as well as ambulatory surgery centers. They are utilized to record and track the patient’s journey from initial consultations and diagnostic tests through treatment, discharge and after-care, as well as post-care.
Care Pathways vs Integrated Medicine is an extensive, logically-ordered sequence of medical and nursing procedures and treatments that are designed to provide similar outcomes for the same health issue. These procedures, testsand treatments are designed to give the best possible outcomes for patients with minimal adverse reactions.
The process of creating pathways is often complex and involves many parties with diverse interests and expertise. It usually begins with identifying the need for a new pathway, or a scheduled review of an existing pathway. This process is typically supervised by a group of experts who have an interest in particular or are directly involved in the implementation of the procedure.
Once a new pathway is determined, the team will move on to the design phase. This phase will allow the team come to a conclusion and develop the documentation for the path. This phase will comprise the creation of the pathway documents, the establishment of a Care Pathway Committee, and the creation all other materials required to help support it.
The goal of this process is to develop an evidence-based process that is not based solely on the clinical judgment or experience but also on the most recent research. This may involve searching the literature for evidence relevant to the case, and evaluating the quality of that evidence.
Although the term ‘evidence-based’ is widely accepted by those working in the field, this approach isn’t always feasible, especially when high-quality information is not available to support the decision-making process. Developers tend to depend more on consensus or best practices, as well as clinical judgments, rather than direct comparative studies.
When it comes to evaluating performance of a pathway most survey respondents reported that the rate of compliance is the most commonly used measurement. They also noted that patient groups could have different levels of adherence to treatment pathways. Several respondents said they measured adherence for patients who enter the practice and not those who are who are selected to receive treatment on the path while others have reported using different metrics for patients suffering from particular diseases or conditions.
Although pathways have the potential for improving patient outcomes and quality of care, implementation in most US healthcare settings is in the process of being developed. There is still a lack of transparency in the design implementation, evaluation, and monitoring and various concerns regarding the quality of evidence that underlies pathways, making it difficult to use them to guide the process of making decisions. It is essential to ensure that pathways are developed and implemented in an efficient and transparent manner that adheres best practices and encourages continuous quality improvement.
Additional Resources:
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