It should, however, be noted that variance from the pathway can also result from patient choice. Establishing a consensus as to what should constitute the pathway is a key objective in creating a pathway. Pathways have application to both primary and secondary settings. They are not static entities, but should be subject to ongoing review. As such pathways enable the communication of the latest research-based practice at local level.
Pathways employ an in-built mechanism for the monitoring of practice against that prescribed.
This is known as variance analysis. However, knowing what best practice is can often be problematic as often there are no explicit standards. The setting of such a standard is, therefore, an initial step in the quality improvement process. Standards must be based on the findings of rigorous research. They are usually based on the work of national organisations.