This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: 34/2/587    most recent 01.STR.0000054673.28010.1Bv1 Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kwan, J. Articles by Sandercock, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kwan, J. Articles by Sandercock, P. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Stroke

(Stroke. 2003;34:587.)
© 2003 American Heart Association, Inc.

Cochrane Corner

In-Hospital Care Pathways for Stroke: A Cochrane Systematic Review

From the Department of Medicine for the Elderly (J.K.), Princess Margaret Hospital, Wiltshire, and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences (P.S.), Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK.

Correspondence to Dr Joseph Kwan, Department of Medicine for the Elderly, Princess Margaret Hospital, Okus Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 4JU, UK. E-mail: jk@1to1.org

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

Care of stroke patients varies significantly between hospitals.^1,2 Implementation of a stroke care pathway may be a method of promoting organized and efficient patient care that is based on the best-available evidence and clinical guidelines. This, in turn, could reduce variations in stroke care.

A care pathway can be defined as a plan of care that is developed and used by a multidisciplinary team, and is applicable to more than 1 aspect of care. It can be a printed document or an electronic program, and it usually forms all or part of the patient’s case record. Care pathways are often used in conjunction with other tools such as case management, and they are intended to assist healthcare professionals in clinical decision-making.^3,4 Care pathways are also known by other names such as clinical pathway, critical pathway, critical path method, care paths, and CareMaps. Despite the popularity of care pathways, the evidence to support their use is weak. This systematic review aims to assess the effects of care pathways, as compared with standard medical care, among patients admitted to hospital with acute stroke.⁵

Methods

We searched the Cochrane Stroke Group Specialized Trials Register (last searched in May 2001), the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (Issue 4, 2000), MEDLINE (1975 to 2000), EMBASE (1980 to 2000), CINAHL (1982 to 2000), the Index to Scientific and Technical Proceedings (ISTP, May 2001), and HealthSTAR (May 2001). We also handsearched the Journal of Managed Care (1997 to 1998), which was later renamed the Journal of Integrated Care (1998 . . . [Full Text of this Article]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. I. Cameron, C. Tsoi, and A. Marsella Optimizing Stroke Systems of Care by Enhancing Transitions Across Care Environments Stroke, September 1, 2008; 39(9): 2637 - 2643. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Kwan and P. Sandercock In-Hospital Care Pathways for, Stroke: An Updated Systematic Review Stroke, June 1, 2005; 36(6): 1348 - 1349. [Full Text] [PDF]

				Task Force Members, L. H. Schwamm, A. Pancioli, J. E. Acker III, L. B. Goldstein, R. D. Zorowitz, T. J. Shephard, P. Moyer, M. Gorman, S. C. Johnston, et al. Recommendations for the Establishment of Stroke Systems of Care: Recommendations From the American Stroke Association's Task Force on the Development of Stroke Systems Stroke, March 1, 2005; 36(3): 690 - 703. [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. H. Schwamm, A. Pancioli, J. E. Acker III, L. B. Goldstein, R. D. Zorowitz, T. J. Shephard, P. Moyer, M. Gorman, S. C. Johnston, P. W. Duncan, et al. Recommendations for the Establishment of Stroke Systems of Care: Recommendations From the American Stroke Association's Task Force on the Development of Stroke Systems Circulation, March 1, 2005; 111(8): 1078 - 1091. [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. B. Goldstein and P. Amarenco Prevention and Health Services Delivery Stroke, February 1, 2005; 36(2): 222 - 224. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. G. Rudd and D. B. Matchar Health Policy and Outcome Research in Stroke Stroke, February 1, 2004; 35(2): 397 - 400. [Full Text] [PDF]

				L.B. Goldstein, D.B. Matchar, J. Hoff-Lindquist, G.P. Samsa, and R.D. Horner VA Stroke Study: Neurologist care is associated with increased testing but improved outcomes Neurology, September 23, 2003; 61(6): 792 - 796. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]