A Structured Approach to Clinical Pathway Mapping (CPM): a Case Study of a Postoperative Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) pump

Abstract

This study describes an evidence-based Clinical Pathway Mapping (CPM) visualisation method that can be used to enhance healthcare quality in the face of complex systems and constrained resources. The CPM visualisation method we are proposing highlights the connection among the key components of the healthcare work system – individuals, tasks, tools, technology, physical environment, and organisational conditions. When seeking to innovate a clinical pathway by adding or changing a (technological or procedural) component, practitioners need to consider that changes in one component will affect the others, so being able to map and visualise such the relationship among the components is essential to patient safety and care delivery. We present the CPM method using a case study focused on a new Patient-Controlled Analgesia (PCA) pump in the postoperative sector. Feedback was gained through semi-structured interviews with stakeholders from four NHS Trusts in the UK. By evaluating the device's effect on post-operative procedures, the research produced a thorough picture of the postoperative environment as it exists today. We identified the two most likely scenarios of use and carried out a work system analysis to investigate these scenarios in detail and implications for the healthcare work system’s components. This analysis facilitated the identification of new criteria necessary for the device's effective integration into NHS Hospitals. The study emphasises the benefits of utilizing a human and system centred process for visualisation, identifying areas for development, and improving the security and effective application of emerging medical technologies.

Keywords: Clinical Pathway Mapping, Process Mapping, Healthcare implementation

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1004832