Clinical pathway development
A clinical pathway is a structured, multidisciplinary care plan. It details the essential steps in the care of patients with a specific clinical problem and describes their anticipated progress over time.
Since the P.A.I.N. Workshop in 2005 in Basel, the results have been enhanced by focussing on the development of clinical pathways (Figure 4, 5). In addition to international opinion leaders in pain management and experienced general practitioners the participants included psychologists, nursing staff and physiotherapists involved in the treatment of pain.
National guidelines and research findings developed according to the P.A.I.N. methodology can be incorporated into clinical pathways to influence clinical practice.
The clinical pathway is a tool to collect clinical data for auditing and promoting change as well to improve communication with patients by providing a clearly written summary of their expected care.
