INTRODUCTION: Enhanced recovery pathways are standardized, multidisciplinary, consensus-based tools that provide guidelines for evidence-based decision-making.
This study evaluates the impact of the implementation of a clinical care pathway on patient outcomes following radical prostatectomy in a universal healthcare system.
METHODS: Medical charts of 200 patients with prostate cancer who underwent open and minimally invasive radical prostatectomy at a single academic hospital from 2009 to 2012 were reviewed. A group of 100 consecutive patients' pre-pathway implementation was compared with 99 consecutive patients' post-pathway implementation. Duration of hospital stay, complications, post-discharge emergency department visits and readmissions were compared between the 2 groups.
RESULTS: Length of hospital stay decreased from a median of 3 (inter-quartile range [IQR] 4 to 3 days) days in the pre-pathway group to a median of 2 (IQR 3 to 2 days) days in the post-pathway group regardless of surgical approach (p < 0.0001). Complication rates, emergency department visits and hospital readmissions were not significantly different in the pre- and post-pathway groups (17% vs. 21%, p = 0.80; 12% vs. 12%, p = 0.95; and 3% vs. 7%, p = 0.18, respectively). These findings were consistent after stratification by surgical approach. Limitations of our study include lack of assessment of patient satisfaction, and the retrospective study design.
CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of a standardized, multidisciplinary clinical care pathway for patients undergoing radical prostatectomy improved efficiency without increasing complication rates or hospital readmissions.
Written by:
Abou-Haidar H, Abourbih S, Braganza D, Qaoud TA, Lee L, Carli F, Watson D, Aprikian AG, Tanguay S, Feldman LS, Kassouf W. Are you the author?
Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, QC; Department of Surgery (Urology), McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC; Steinberg-Bernstein Centre for Minimally Invasive Surgery and Innovation, Department of Surgery, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC; Department of Anesthesia, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC; Department of Nursing, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC.
Reference: Can Urol Assoc J. 2014 Nov;8(11-12):418-23.
doi: 10.5489/cuaj.2114
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 25553155