In this episode of BackTable ENT, Dr. Gopi Shah sits down with Dr. Anthony Sheyn, associate professor of otolaryngology at the University of Tennesse-Memphis and Dr. Jennifer Lavin, associate professor of otolaryngology at Northwestern University-Feinberg, to talk about what clinical care pathways are and their usage in the field of pediatric otolaryngology.

---

SHOW NOTES

First, the doctors discuss their journey into their current roles and then transition into answering the question of what clinical care pathways are. Jennifer explains clinical care pathways being standardized protocols and algorithms, which help in further developing other ways to standardize interventions. Jennifer brings up an example about tonsillectomies at her institution, where if a child is under the age of 5, opioids aren’t offered as an medication option.

Next, Anthony and Jennifer talk about the challenges in getting buy-in for standardized care from stakeholders and deciding who plans out clinical care pathways. Jennifer and Anthony emphasize the importance of getting individuals involved in patient care as stakeholders, such as pharmacists, anesthesiologists, and nurses.

Anthony then mentions how clinical care pathways work for both high and low volume procedures using examples from his own institution. Finally, Jennifer and Anthony share resources in finding current clinical care pathways that have been implemented at other institutions, such as ones posted by the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ASPO) and American College of Surgeons.

---

RESOURCES

ACS Quality Programs:

https://www.facs.org/quality-programs/?page=1

ASPO Clinical Care Pathways:

https://aspo.us/page/StandardizedRoutinePerioperativeCareofthePediatricOtolaryngologyPatient