title: [Methodological aspects of integrated care pathways].
abstract: An Integrated Healthcare Pathway (PAI) is a tool which has as its aim to increase the effectiveness of clinical performance through greater coordination and to ensure continuity of care. PAI places the patient as the central focus of the organisation of health services. It is defined as the set of activities carried out by the health care providers in order to increase the level of health and satisfaction of the population receiving services. The development of a PAI requires the analysis of the flow of activities, the inter-relationships between professionals and care teams, and patient expectations. The methodology for the development of a PAI is presented and discussed in this article, as well as the success factors for its definition and its effective implementation. It also explains, as an example, the recent PAI for Hypoglycaemia in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus developed by a multidisciplinary team and supported by several scientific societies.
authors.affiliation: Sociedad Española de Diabetes (SED), Barcelona, España. Electronic address: rgomis@clinic.ub.es.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gomis
authors.affiliation: Sociedad Española de Diabetes (SED), Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mata Cases
authors.affiliation: Sociedad Española de Endocrinología y Nutrición (SEEN), Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mauricio Puente
authors.affiliation: Fundación Red de Grupos de Estudio de la Diabetes en Atención Primaria de la Salud (RedGDPS), Madrid, España.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Artola Menéndez
authors.affiliation: Sociedad Española de Medicina Interna (SEMI), Alicante, España.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ena Muñoz
authors.affiliation: Sociedad Española de Médicos de Atención Primaria (SEMERGEN), Burgos, España.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Mediavilla Bravo
authors.affiliation: Sociedad Española de Médicos Generales y de Familia (SEMG), Toledo, España.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Miranda Fernández-Santos
authors.affiliation: Sociedad Española de Medicina de Familia y Comunitaria (SemFYC), Alicante, España.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Orozco Beltrán
authors.affiliation: Sociedad Española de Medicina Geriátrica (SEMEG), Madrid, España.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rodríguez Mañas
authors.affiliation: Sociedad Española de Diabetes (SED), Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sánchez Villalba
authors.affiliation: GOC Networking, Barcelona, España.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Martínez
mesh_terms: D019091:Critical Pathways; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / Q000379:methods*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D007003:Hypoglycemia / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D013030:Spain
keywords: Atención al paciente; Case management; Clinical protocols; Critical pathways; Diabetes mellitus tipo 2; Gestión de casos; Hipoglucemia; Hypoglycaemia; Manejo del paciente; Patient care; Patient management; Protocolos clínicos; Ruta crítica; Type 2 diabetes mellitus