Do we need electronic support for pathways: the Spanish experience

Care pathways are excellent tools for quality management in health care concerning the standardization of care processes, as they promote organized and efficient patient care established on evidence-based practice. The implementation of a care pathway project at any health-care setting means a change of the organizational culture. E-pathways (electronic pathways) are strategic resources in order to get the successful implementation of a care pathway project. The concept of e-pathway is recent enough and there are some different experiences worldwide. In 2000, the first electronic pathways were implemented at Hospital de Mataró, in Barcelona, Spain. The benefits of using e-pathways (Eira Healthcare Server) are very clear at Hospital de Mataró: immediate records with no transcriptions, information in the palm of your hand, no prints, and rigour and reliability. Another recent and interesting experience is the development and introduction of e-pathways at Hospital General de l'Hospitalet, in Barcelona, Spain, using an SAP integrated health-care solution. The strategy planning of hospital managers should take into account the need and priority of any pathway project linked to e-pathways. Some experiences in Spain have proven that we do really need electronic support for pathways. Electronic pathways are a basic support and should not be postponed when implementing care pathways.