Save Time
Using pathways can save you valuable time making clinical decisions, including when to refer to a specialist or use specialist advice options before a referral.

Reduce Wait Times
A recent Alberta Health Evidence Review found consistent positive evidence of the effectiveness of pathways in reducing wait times.

Ease Pressure on Acute Care
Clinical and patient pathways are intended to be used by primary care providers with their patients in their community. Using pathways can help keep care in the community, when appropriate, so patients can stay under the care of their trusted primary provider whenever possible.

Support Relationships
Pathways support partnerships and collaboration between patients, primary care providers and specialists.

Physician Testimonial
How Primary Care Pathways have changed my practice - YouTube

Reliability & Valued Care

Clinical Pathways: Driving High-Reliability & High-Value Care - ScienceDirect

• Synopsis: Abstract outlines the key success dimensions of clinical pathways.
• PPU Goal: The PPU clinical pathways support patient-centred care, reducing unnecessary clinical variation, and reducing cost.
• Relevance: This article abstract articulates the impacts of clinical pathways within several dimensions of quality.

Reducing Clinical Variations

Reducing Clinical Variations with Clinical Pathways: Do Pathways Work? - International Journal for Quality in Health Care

• Synopsis: This longitudinal study measured the impact of clinical practices both before and after clinical pathway implementation for several disease conditions.
• PPU Goal: The PPU endorses clinical pathways as a way to create system change across many reportable metrics.
• Relevance: This article outlines the specific indicators that changed after a clinical pathway was implemented.

Clinical Pathways for Primary Care

Clinical Pathways for Primary care: Current Use, Interest & Perceived Usability - Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association

• Synopsis: Clinical pathway were evaluated on a usability scale among multidisciplinary team members.
• PPU Goal: The PPU clinical pathways support multidisciplinary team members in Primary Care.
• Relevance: This article demonstrates how multidisciplinary approaches are met by clinical pathways.

Why Use Clinical Pathways Rather Than Practice Guidelines? - ScienceDirect
Demonstrates early justifications for developing clinical pathways.