Page 151 - Simplicity is Key in CRT

Figure 1. EPA Care pathway methodology: the 4 levels of a care pathway
EPA Care pathway methodology: the 4 levels of a care pathway. The model pathway being based on international and national evidence and not being organisation specific. The operational pathway is an organization specific pathway based on the model pathway taking into account local processes and resources. The assigned pathway is the operational pathway that is used for a specific patient. The completed pathway shows the compliance with the interventions embedded in the pathway and provides information for improvement of the pathway. Reprinted with permission from Oxford University Press [20].
The Lean Six Sigma methodology is a highly structured methodology that uses a set of management and statistical methods to optimise processes and reduce waste in business processes, which has previously been used to design pathways in health care [22]. The general sequence of managing a project with this methodology consists of three phases (Assess, Improve and Sustain), aiming at implementing a locally applicable ‘lean’ structured care pathway (figure 2). Combined together, these methodologies provide a highly structured approach to ideal pathway definition and practical implementation.
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