Clinical pathway for TUR of bladder neoplasms. Analysis of the first 2 years of its implementation

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the results of the first two years of application of the clinical pathway for transurethral resection (TUR) of bladder tumors at La Paz University Hospital. METHODS: We developed a clinical pathway of 4 hospital stays (5 days) for TUR of the bladder that included the following: matrix-verification, treatments prescribed, verification of changes, patient information sheet and patient satisfaction questionnaire. The information for the evaluation of the results were obtained from the pathway records and data on the activities of the Urology services. To assess the results for efficiency in the use of resources, the mean duration of hospital stay of patients in the pathway were compared with that of a control group comprised of 50 randomly selected patients submitted to TUR of the bladder in 1997. RESULTS: From June 1998 to May 2000, 481 of the 494 (97.4%) treated patients entered the clinical pathway. CONCLUSIONS: In our experience, the clinical pathway for the urinary bladder is a useful instrument for developing the clinical management of this condition. It reduces the unwanted changes in patient care and hospital stay, carries a low incidence of complications and readmissions, and achieves a high degree of patient satisfaction.