Again, this is an area where the physician, armed with knowledge of the appropriate guideline, can begin to become a part of the decision-making process before a guideline becomes institutionalized by being transformed into a critical pathway. Critical pathways are similar to algorithms inasmuch as both represent a flow chart format for decisions to be made and care to be given. At times, guidelines are presented in the form of algorithms instead of in cursive language. Similarly, pathways are considered identical to guidelines. For the purist, nonetheless, one of the distinguishing features of a critical pathway is that it refers to the transformation of a guideline into an operationalized pathway for use in hospitals or health plans.
Pathways cover all the care to be given in a step-wise sequence.
Critical pathways frequently are the results of nursing care analysis of guidelines, though they address all provider contributions to patient care. Clinical Policies and the Quality of Clinical Practice. A Collection of Essays from the Journal of the American Medical Association . Institute of Medicine. Guidelines for Clinical Practice.