Evaluation of the Effect of Implementation of Clinical Pathway in a 3A Hospital in Shenzhen

Abstract

Objective. To evaluate the clinical effects of implementing the clinical pathway management method. Methods. Comparing and evaluating the indexes of average hospitalization expense, average length of stay, preoperative average length of stay, and patient satisfaction, in two groups. One included 5268 cases of clinical pathway management for five diseases (clinical pathway group), and the other group included 5895 cases not treated under clinical pathway management (traditional group), from May 2010 to May 2013 in the hospital. Results. The differences in the average hospitalization expense and medicine expense of patients with nodular goiter, between the clinical pathway group and the traditional group, were not statistically significant (P > 0.05), but the auxiliary examination expense in the clinical pathway group was significantly decreased (P < 0.001); the differences in the average auxiliary examination expense for patients with simple appendicitis between the two groups were not statistically significant (p = 0.749); the differences in average hospitalization expense, average length of stay, preoperative average length of stay, and patient satisfaction between the two groups of patients with other diseases were all statistically significant (P > 0.05). Conclusion. Clinical pathway management can effectively control the excessive increase in medical costs, shorten the hospital stay and preoperative waiting time of patients, and improve patient satisfaction.

Key words::

• Clinical pathway
• Hospital management
• Effect evaluation