The road map to better knowledge? Care pathways as an educational tool during surgical internship

Introduction: Changes in medical practice have promoted a culture of standardized care. Care pathways have been proven to raise the quality of clinical care. Their effect as an educational tool has not been evaluated to date. Aims: To examine the educational role of care pathways in elective surgical admissions during surgical internship and the effect of their introduction on interns' confidence in performing tasks. Methods: A questionnaire survey was filled in by interns to determine their confidence in performing different tasks during elective surgical admission and postoperative care. Care pathways were then formulated for the commonest procedures within the Department of Colorectal Surgery. The same interns then repeated the same questionnaire after they were exposed to the care pathways. Results: Thirty interns participated in the study with a 100% response rate. There was statistically significant improvement in tasks performed confidently in 20 out of 21 areas surveyed after the introduction of the care pathways. The percentage of tasks performed with no confidence decreased from 25% to 1% (p<0.001). Conclusion: Care pathways are an effective method to improve the efficiency and confidence of interns in different aspects of surgical care, thereby improving patient safety. They also function as a valuable educational tool to aid interns in the management of patients with complex surgical issues.