Clinical pathway management on daytime surgery of adult patients with inguinal hernia

Objective To analyze the effect of clinical pathway management on daytime surgery of adult patients with inguinal hernia. Methods Based on the application of clinical pathway, one hundred and twenty patients with unilateral inguinal hernia were recruited in Liaocheng People’s Hospital from January 2014 to June 2016, and were divided into clinical pathway group (observation group) with 56 cases and inpatient surgery group (control group) with 64 cases according to patients’ opinion. The length of stay, costs, surgical effect, postoperative complications and cost-effectiveness analysis were compared. Results There were no significant differences between the two groups in operation time, blood loss during the operation, or postoperative complications (t=0.397, 0.790, P=0.823, 0.430; χ2=0.250, P=0.617). Compared with the control group, the length of stay and costs were shorter in the observation group (t=10.851, 6.755, both P<0.001), and cost-effects were lower. Conclusion The clinical pathway management can significantly reduce the costs of stay, improve the efficiency with minimized medical risk and ensure the medical safety and quality. Key words: Clinical pathways; Hernia, inguinal; Day care