Clinical pathways: a direction forward in health care.

As in many developed nations, health care consumers in Singapore are demanding better (and more costly) services. At the operational level, one way to address consumers' demands while ensuring cost-effectiveness is through the implementation of a clinical pathway program. This paper provides an overview of the program at Changi General Hospital (CGH), a regional general acute care hospital in the Republic of Singapore. The paper highlights the problems encountered during the planning, developing and implementing phases. It concludes by predicting what the future might hold for clinical pathways in Singapore and the South East Asian Region.