抄録
We started using a“critical path”care planning system for total hip arthroplasty in 1999 to provide standardized, efficient and reliable team care. In this study, we investigated the effects and problems of critical path planning for both patients and medical staff. The patients consisted of two groups : 1) patients treated before the introduction of the critical path system (n=43), 2) patients treated with critical path (n=26) .
Postoperative hospitalization significantly decreased when using critical path charts (p<0.01) . Total medical costs per patient also significantly decreased (p<0.01) . In both groups, patients indicated the merits of using critical path charts, saying that they could easily explain the postoperative course to their family and they could better prepare for discharge. However, some patients pointed out the difficulty of understanding the medical terms in the path charts, and felt resistant to the fixed program. The critical path system made the nursing work more efficient. All medical staff recognised that the critical path facilitated efficient and reliable team care for patients, but the critical path system should be improved to allow for individual patient needs.
