WELCOME to the website of the European Pathway Association (E-P-A) (ivzw)

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This association is an international not for profit organisation (ivzw) under Belgian Law of Clinical Pathway/ Care Pathway Networks, User Groups, Academic Institutions, Supporting Organisations and individuals who want to support the development, implementation and evaluation of clinical / care pathways.

The purpose of the association is:
- To conduct international research into the quality and efficiency of organizing healthcare and methods for the coordination of primary healthcare and care pathways (aka clinical pathways, integrated care pathways (ICPs) or critical pathways).
- To set up an international network for pooling know-how and the international training initiatives that go with it.
- To foster international cooperation between healthcare researchers, managers and healthcare providers from European countries and the wider international community.
- To advise policymakers within the area of healthcare management.

The European Pathway Association is collaborating with the Royal Society of Medicine Press and edits the International Journal of Care Pathways, an international peer reviewed scientific journal on care pathways.

If you want up-to-date information on the healthcare management concept of care pathways, please join our association for free.
Members receive updates and international networking information, reduction at pathway conferences and a reduction on the fee of the International Journal of Care Pathways.

If you want more information on this association, please contact our office manager Mrs. Alexandra Pardon. If you are searching for information on the concept and methodology of care pathways, please contact our E-P-A bureau members, our contact person(s) in your country or our council members. More information on our council members can also be found in the June 2009 newsletter.

Best Regards,

The Bureau Members:
Massimiliano Panella, President E-P-A
Kris Vanhaecht, Secretary General E-P-A
Walter Sermeus, Treasurer E-P-A
Ruben Van Zelm, Secretary E-P-A

Contact details E-P-A:
European Pathway Association (ivzw)
Kapucijnenvoer 35 / 4
B- 3000 Leuven
Belgium
Tel: + 32 16 33 68 36
Fax: + 32 16 33 69 70
Office Manager: Mrs. Alexandra Pardon

The European Pathway Association defines a care pathway as:

A care pathway is a complex intervention for the mutual decision making and organisation of care processes for a well-defined group of patients during a well-defined period.
Defining characteristics of care pathways include:
(i) An explicit statement of the goals and key elements of care based on evidence, best practice, and patients’ expectations and their characteristics;
(ii) the facilitation of the communication among the team members and with patients and families;
(iii) the coordination of the care process by coordinating the roles and sequencing the activities of the multidisciplinary care team, patients and their relatives;
(iv) the documentation, monitoring, and evaluation of variances and outcomes; and
(v) the identification of the appropriate resources.
The aim of a care pathway is to enhance the quality of care across the continuum by improving risk-adjusted patient outcomes, promoting patient safety, increasing patient satisfaction, and optimizing the use of resources.

Source: Vanhaecht, K., De Witte, K. Sermeus, W. (2007). The impact of clinical pathways on the organisation of care processes. PhD dissertation KULeuven, 154pp, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.