Efficacy of a clinical pathway for patients with thyroid cancer

Background: Clinical pathways have been proposed as a way to improve organizational efficiency and maximize patient outcomes. However, little is known as to whether a clinical pathway is effective for thyroid cancer. Methods: The study subjects included 216 patients who were managed after clinical pathway implementation and 145 control patients. Length of stay, cost per patient, and nurses' satisfaction were compared in the 2 groups. Results: Mean length of stay was 0.8 days shorter in the clinical pathway group than in the control group (2.9 vs 3.7 days; P =.023). Cost per patient was also lower in the clinical pathway than in the control group (USD $3953.00 vs USD $4636.00; P <.001). Nurses' overall satisfaction scores improved from 71.6% before to 82.5% after implementation of the clinical pathway and their job characteristics scores increased from 61.1% to 75.0%. Conclusion: Implementation of a clinical pathway for thyroid cancer can improve nurses' satisfaction with reduction of hospital stay and costs.