Implementation of an Acute Care Clinical Pathway for the Management of Pediatric Constipation Improves Process Control

Constipation accounts for approximately 3% of all pediatric visits. The role of providing care for children with constipation has expanded from the outpatient offices to include providers in the emergency department (ED) and inpatient settings. At UPMC Children ’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, approximately 100 children are seen monthly in the ED for constipation, with nearly 10% being admitted for further management. We aimed to collect baseline data on the management of constipation at our hospital, use these data to develop a clinical pathway for constipati on management, and assess the pathway’s effect on utilization of hospital services, readmission rate, and length of stay.

Source: Gastroenterology - June 28, 2019 Category: Gastroenterology Authors: Vikram K. Raghu, Katherine E. Gaughan, Cecilia Verner, Tracy A. Pasek, Gabriella A. Butler, Jeffrey A. Rudolph, Arvind I. Srinath, Andrew R. Buchert Tags: Abstract Source Type: research