Radical prostatectomy and collaborative care pathways.

The purpose of this study was to describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a collaborative care pathway for radical retropubic prostatectomy. The experience of Vanderbilt University Medical Center is described, and the literature was reviewed. In addition, an example of the radical prostatectomy care pathway is provided for an illustration of a care path. The experience of using collaborative care pathways at Vanderbilt Medical Center has resulted in decreased length of stays, decreased blood utilization, and decreased overall costs. Also, staff satisfaction has improved all without compromising patient care. Collaborative care pathways have been shown to be a cost effective way of standardizing patient care without sacrificing the quality of patient care. In addition, they allow for an easier way to critically evaluate outcomes, costs, and patient and staff satisfaction.