title: Integrated care pathways: disease-specific or process-specific?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  conventional teaching on integrated care pathways (ICP) suggests that they have to be specific both to a particular setting and to a specific diagnosis. We wished to explore the potential for a generic process-based care pathway.
  
  
  METHODS
  we evaluated three different, disease-specific ICPs in use on a neurological rehabilitation unit to identify prompts common to and differing between them. Variance types and goal outcomes in all three diagnostic groups were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  93% of prompts on the care pathway were common to all three diagnostic groups. The prompts that differed were unique to each diagnostic group and provided important guidelines about management.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  in neurorehabilitation, where the process of multidisciplinary care is well defined, it is possible to develop a process-based ICP. Process-based ICPs may not be unique to rehabilitation but may also be relevant to other settings in which patients with differing diagnoses share similar needs.
authors.affiliation: Neurorehabilitation Unit, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Queen Square, London.
authors.forename: Simon G M
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Edwards
authors.forename: Alan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: E Diane
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Playford
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019091:Critical Pathways; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D013122:Spinal Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D016896:Treatment Outcome