학술논문

Effects of oncological care pathways in primary and secondary care on patient, professional and health systems outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Document Type
Report
Source
Systematic Reviews. October 25, 2020, Vol. 9 Issue 1
Subject
Denmark
Language
English
Abstract
Author(s): Jolanda C. van Hoeve[sup.1,2], Robin W. M. Vernooij[sup.3,4], Michelle Fiander[sup.5], Peter Nieboer[sup.6], Sabine Siesling[sup.1,2] and Thomas Rotter[sup.7] Background Care pathways are also known as 'integrated care pathways,' 'clinical pathways,' [...]
Background Pathways are frequently used to improve care for cancer patients. However, there is little evidence about the effects of pathways used in oncological care. Therefore, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis aiming to identify and synthesize existing literature on the effects of pathways in oncological care. Methods All patients diagnosed with cancer in primary and secondary/tertiary care whose treatment can be characterized as the strategy 'care pathways' are included in this review. A systematic search in seven databases was conducted to gather evidence. Studies were screened by two independent reviewers. Study outcomes regarding patients, professionals, and system level were extracted from each study. Results Out of 13,847 search results, we selected 158 articles eligible for full text assessment. One hundred fifty studies were excluded and the remaining eight studies represented 4786 patients. Most studies were conducted in secondary/tertiary care. Length of stay (LOS) was the most common used indicator, and was reported in five studies. Meta-analysis based on subgroups showed an overall shorter LOS regarding gastric cancer (weighted mean difference (WMD)): - 2.75, CI: - 4.67 to - 0.83) and gynecological cancer (WMD: - 1.58, CI: - 2.10 to - 1.05). Costs were reported in six studies and most studies reported lower costs for pathway groups. Conclusions Despite the differences between the included studies, we were able to present an evidence base for cancer care pathways performed in secondary/tertiary care regarding the positive effects of LOS in favor of cancer care pathways. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42017057592. Keywords: Care pathways, Clinical pathways, Integrated care pathways, Care maps, Oncology, Cancer, Systematic review