AlphaMED Resources · https://alphamedicine.uk/Resources/glossary/care-pathway
Care pathway
A care pathway is an agreed plan of the steps a patient with a particular condition should go through, who carries out each one and when.
Summary
- Pathways put clinical guidelines into practice.
- They cut variation, so that patients with the same condition get the same standard of care.
- The stroke pathway is an example. It sets out the scan, the clot treatment and the start of rehabilitation, with a target time for each.
- A pathway is a guide. Clinicians adapt it when a patient's circumstances call for it.
Interview questions
- Why does the NHS use care pathways?
- What are the risks of treating every patient by a set pathway?
- A patient has a suspected stroke. Who is involved in their care from the 999 call onwards?
Practise answering these with a mentor
Our interview preparation has you answer questions like these out loud, with feedback on each answer.
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More NHS hot topics, medical ethics case studies and medical school interview questions are in AlphaMED Resources, which we add to and update through the application cycle.