Process quality of medical care for inpatients with cholecystectomy: a clinical pathway based study

Abstract

Objective To study the compliance of medical care with corresponding national clinical pathways for inpatients of cholecystectomy for cholecystolithiasis with acute cholecystitis at public hospitals of China. Methods Thirty medical records of the inpatients with cholecystectomy admitted in 2014 were randomly sampled from 18 public hospitals in Shanghai, Hubei province and Gansu province, for assessment on their compliance with corresponding national clinical pathways. Results The average compliance rate of inpatient care of cholecystectomy at public hospitals was 67.7%. The study found low compliance rates in both severity assessment and timely examinations/diagnosis within two days after admission (5.8% and 35.3%, respectively). Conclusions Public hospitals in China should strengthen their supervision over the medical care process for inpatients of cholecystectomy with acute cholecystitis, and the clinical pathways in question should be updated and improved in time. Key words: Clinical pathway; Medical quality; Process assessment; Public hospital; Cholecystectomy