title: Impact of clinical pathways for total hip replacement: a community-based analysis.
abstract: The implementation of clinical pathways for total hip replacement was carried out by five hospitals in the metropolitan area of Syracuse, New York. This process occurred under the leadership of clinical nurse specialists and nurse managers. It was supported by preadmission patient education programs and active physician involvement. The participating hospitals shared utilization quality assurance data and benchmarked with respect to the experience of Sacramento, California, and each others' progress. The effort produced substantial reductions in hospital stays without adverse impacts on quality of care.
authors.affiliation: Crouse Hospital, Syracuse, NY, USA.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Card
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Herrling
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Matthews
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lagoe
mesh_terms: D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip / Q000451:nursing* / Q000592:standards*; D019985:Benchmarking; D018672:Community Health Planning; D019091:Critical Pathways / Q000592:standards*; D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D009518:New York; D009718:Nurse Administrators; D009720:Nurse Clinicians; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*