History and Importance of Care Pathways

Care pathways (CPs), also known under a variety of synonyms such as clinical pathways, integrated care pathways, care maps, or critical pathways, are used worldwide for a variety of patient groups. One of the earliest mentions of the term “critical pathway” is from WR Grant in 1970 as publication of the Samuel Hyde Lecture which was presented on March 12, 1969. It stated four essential elements: (1) Definition of start-point or present position, (2) Specification of end-point, (3) Statement of time by which the goal is to be achieved, (4) Quantifiable, or at least positively identifiable, end-result. It also contained this example with a thin line representing 24 days and thick line representing 14 days. See Fig. 3.1.