Chapter 6: Clinical Pathways
Overview:
- Defines key terms related to Clinical Pathways
- Outlines the objectives and results of clinical pathways
- Discusses clinical pathways in aged care
- Outlines the design and implementation of clinical pathways through steps
Description:
Many acute and subacute healthcare organisations have introduced evidence-based clinical pathways in response to the demands for cost reduction in an environment of increased consumer interest in health care. The aim of such clinical pathways is to achieve quality outcomes within a specified time frame, using the resources that best meet the patients’ needs.
Topics:
- Introduction
- Defining terms
- Best practice
- Clinical pathway
- Resident pathway
- Evidence-based practice and evidence-based clinical pathways
- Interdisciplinary healthcare teams
- Resident-centred care
- Variance and variance analysis
- Continuous quality improvement
- Guidelines
- Health outcome
- Objectives and results of clinical pathways
- Clinical pathways in aged care
- Changing perceptions of aged-care nursing
- Interdisciplinary healthcare teams
- Assessment and referral
- Resident-centred and outcome-based care
- Streamlined documentation
- Staff satisfaction
- Evidence-based practice and continuous quality improvement
- Design and implementation of clinical pathways
- Select a steering committee
- Select a project coordinator
- Select a case or procedure
- Select a design team
- Perform a study of case histories
- Perform a literature review
- Arrange meetings with all disciplines and departments
- Develop content and design of clinical pathway (first draft)
- Trial (first draft)
- Refine clinical pathway
- Select another diagnostic-related group or procedure
- Conclusion
Speakers /Authors:
Jenni Ham
Jenni is a registered nurse and midwife who holds a graduate diploma and a master’s degree in health science. Since 1994, she has worked as a project manager and acting operations manager at the Collaborative Health Education & Research Centre (CHERC) of the Bendigo Health Care Group (Victoria, Australia). Jenni has extensive experience in the design and implementation of clinical pathways. Her research projects have included the design, implementation, and evaluation of clinical pathways in acute and rehabilitation settings and the design and implementation of clinical pathways in smaller rural hospitals. Jenni and her colleagues at CHERC have demonstrated that clinical pathways can be implemented successfully for patients with complex needs. Jenni’s work has achieved national recognition, as demonstrated by frequent invitations for her to present at workshops and conferences.
Ann-Maree Conners
Ann-Maree is a registered nurse and midwife who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in health science. For the past five years, she has been the director of the Collaborative Health Education & Research Centre (CHERC) of Bendigo Health Care Group (Victoria, Australia) and has recently been appointed to the role of acting group director of nursing at the Bendigo Health Care Group. Ann-Maree has extensive experience in the development and coordination of education programs for registered nurses and has been involved in health research for a number of years. Her research interests have included (among others): video-conferencing of educational models; a regional telerehabilitation project; post-acute-care programs in regional hospitals; careplanning in rural areas utilising critical-pathway methodology; and community nursing clinical pathways for providers of care to veterans.
Angela Crombie
Angela is a registered nurse who holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing and master’s degree in health science. Angela also holds additional qualifications in psychiatric nursing and workplace assessment and training. She is employed as a research officer and nurse educator with the Collaborative Health Education & Research Centre (CHERC) of Bendigo Health Care Group (Victoria, Australia) specialising in research and education on aged-care issues. Angela has been involved in a number of research projects, many of which have included the design and development of care pathways in a variety of settings. Some of these projects have included: a regional dementia management strategy; health assessments under Medicare schedule items; asthma management in rural Victoria; health surveillance in the elderly using a health surveillance screening instrument; and home and community care best-practice projects.
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