The role of clinical pathways in the delivery of acute care in a tertiary psychiatric hospital in Southeast Asia

Objective: The hospital introduced its first clinical pathway (CP) in 2002 to standardize delivery of evidence-based treatment and to ensure that both quality and safety issues were an integral part of the care. This paper describes the development of CPs in the hospital and associated clinical outcomes and resource utilization. Methods: Data on the use of CPs were collated manually and outcome data was analyzed. Results: Eleven CPs have been implemented to cater to the top ten percent of diseases treated at the hospital. There has been a significant increase in the utilization of CPs in the management of patients. Significant outcomes have included reductions in the average length of stay and in unplanned readmissions for patients managed on CPs. Conclusion: CPs have proved useful in this tertiary hospital and have enabled the clinical teams to design relevant treatment programs for the patients and promote better care