Objective: To assess the effect of acute myocardial infarction standard clinical pathway among acute myocardial infarction patients on length of stay in public tertiary care setting.
Methods: The quasi-experimental non-randomized study was conducted at the Department of Cardiology, Dr. Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital, Karachi, from September to December 2018, and comprised acute myocardial infarction patients. Those admitted before the implementation of the acute myocardial infarction standard clinical pathway formed the control group, while those admitted after the implementation were in the intervention group. Acute myocardial infarction standard clinical pathway was implemented and the interventional clinical practices of healthcare professionals, including cardiologists, postgraduates, residents, nurses, and critical care technicians, were assessed using a standard checklist. Data was analyzed using SPSS 21.
Results:Of the 100 participants, 50(50%) were in the control group; 31(62%) males and 19(38%) females. The intervention group also had 50(50%) patients; 35(70%) males and 15(30%) females. Regarding the effectiveness of the implementation of a standard clinical pathway, the length of hospital stay was reduced significantly in the intervention group compared to the control group (p=0.003).
Conclusion: The implementation of the acute myocardial infarction standard clinical pathway reduced the length of hospital stay of acute myocardial infarction patients.
Keywords: Acute Myocardial Infarction, AMI Standard Clinical Pathway, Length of Hospital Stay (LOS), Angiography, Angioplasty, Health Care Professionals, healthcare professional responsible for care (HCP)