The result of the clinical pathway implementation for ischemic stroke patients in Songklanagarind Hospital

This study aimed to study the effect of the clinical pathway on ischemic stroke patients on the incidence of complications, length of hospital stay, expense of hospital stay and readmission within 28 days after discharge. The study compared two groups of patients-one group from before the study was started, with 50 cases of ischemic stroke patients admitted between January 2002 and December 2003, and a second group of 50 patients admitted after the program began between January 2004 and August 2006. In the first, pre-implementation group, the patients' mean age was 62.3 years. The rates of complications were 4% for urinary tract infections and 2% for bed sores. The mean hospital stay and expense of hospital stay were 7.0 days and 11,074 baht respectively, and 6% of stroke patients were readmitted within 28 days after discharge. After the clinical pathway program was implemented, there were 50 patients with a mean age of 64.3 years. The rate of complications was 2% for urinary tract infections. The mean length of hospital stay was 5.8 days, the mean expense was 9,271 baht, and the 28-day readmission rate was 4%. The caregivers' ability to care for their patients, and satisfaction with the new program of the clinical pathway were high. These results show that the implementation of the clinical pathway for ischemic stroke patients decreased hospital stay significantly (p