title: Use of an acute spinal cord injury clinical pathway.
abstract: Phased outcome clinical pathways can be useful in the management of neurotrauma patients in the acute care setting. By developing multidisciplinary plans of care that focus on patient and family outcomes and not arbitrary points in time, hospitals can provide quality care to trauma patients that is both appropriate and cost effective. In fact, this type of plan for SCIs can be expanded on and used across the health care continuum from prehospital to community reintegration. Providing collaborative quality care will result in improved outcomes for both patients and health care institutions.
authors.affiliation: University of Louisville Hospital, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mcllvoy
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vitaz
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003422:Critical Care / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D019091:Critical Pathways / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D009720:Nurse Clinicians; D009731:Nursing Audit; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000451:nursing*; D014193:Trauma Centers