Care Pathways 2011: meeting the quality and productivity challenge through care pathways

On 21 and 22 of June, Healthcare Events and the European Pathway Association organized the two-day international conference on care pathways which was held in London. It was two days with presentations which provided good examples of care pathways, networking and inspiration. There were a number of recurrent themes during the days. The most intriguing one was perhaps the warning from the patients perspective to see pathways as a means to a higher goal, and not just as a goal in itself. A sure sign perhaps that patients view pathways as continuous quality improvement tools and not just a method for ensuring safe practice.