A Study on the Development of a Clinical Pathway of Korean Medicine for the Management of Patients with Ankle Sprain

Abstract

Objectives The purpose of this study is to improve the accessibility of Korean medicine by standardizing managements, improving quality of medical services, and reducing medical costs in ankle sprain by develop clinical pathway (CP). Methods The development of CP in this study is based on clinical practice guideline (CPG) for ankle sprain, and aims to maximize the quality of treatment, such as reducing treatment time and medical costs, and increasing patient satisfaction through standardized pathway. The CP was revised after consultation and review by the advisory committee. The advisory committee is consisted of a stakeholder group applying the CP. Results In previous research studies, there were no Korean medicine CP studies on ankle sprain. Based on CPG for ankle sprain and analysis of medical records, 6 types of time task matrix type CP (for Korean medicine doctors, medical assistant, patients) and 4 types of algorithm type CP (for Korean medicine clinics, Korean medicine hospitals, and cooperative practicing hospitals, public medical centers) were derived as a result. sprain CP is expected to not only increase patient satisfaction and