Clinical pathways: 12 lessons learned over 25 years of experience

Clinical paths have demonstrated their value in support of patient care management throughout the last 25 years of use. With over 25 years of experience in using clinical paths, a number of lessons have been learned. The remainder of this article will outline 12 of those lessons. Clinical paths provide continuity of plan that needs to be augmented by continuity of provider, particularly for patients with complex issues. Clinical paths of the future will be simultaneously more simple and more complex. This dichotomy is related to increasingly complex treatment modalities; increasing numbers of care sites; and rapid infusion of evidence and research findings. Clinical paths must help simplify and focus care for providers who are engaged in providing individualized, evidence-based, focused and comprehensive care to diverse patients. And most importantly, they must make a difference to patients and their families.