[Clinical management in an angiology and vascular surgery unit. Results of the application of a clinical practice protocols].
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of clinical management on quality indicators in a vascular surgery unit over a 10-year period.


METHODS
We performed a retrospective analysis of quality indicators from 1990 to 2001 and of the influence of a clinical practice protocol and standards of quality on these indicators.


RESULTS
Comparison of both periods revealed improvement in all the quality indicators. The safety of surgical procedures was unaffected by the application of management protocols and clinical pathways.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical management based on the cost-quality binomial can ensure the efficiency of a hospital unit without adversely affecting quality of care. Quality standards based on hospital resource use, morbidity and mortality can be defined for groups of procedures.
Juliá
J
J
Servicio de Angiología y Cirugía Vascular. Hospital Son Dureta. Palma de Mallorca. España. jjulia@hotmail.com
Gómez
F T
FT
Lozano
P
P
Corominas
C
C
Rimbau
E M
EM
D000465:Algorithms; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006801:Humans; D008370:Manuals as Topic; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017751:Safety Management; D013503:Surgery Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000592:standards*