Clinical Resources

Clinical Standard Work Pathways

At Seattle Children’s, a clinical standard work (CSW) pathway is a documented approach to the management and treatment of a particular population or clinical condition. The aim is to improve quality of care through the standardization of management based on evidence in published medical literature and/or expert opinion. A designated owner/clinical champion and team lead the effort through development, implementation and improvement phases. CSW pathway teams have implemented over 70 pathways in different care settings throughout the hospital. The teams disseminate their work through publications and presentations.

When developing these pathways, committees of experts from different disciplines review the evidence to reach a consensus about treatments that result in the best outcomes for all patients. An inclusive and anti-racist framework guides the team to consider the impact of social determinants of health and reduce health disparities for the pathway patient population. Supporting documents and tools such as policies and procedures; patient and family educational materials; and order sets are developed or modified to match the pathway recommendations. Pathways are reviewed periodically to ensure they remain consistent with current medical literature and national guidelines. Pathway metrics are followed to confirm that goals are met or improvement in outcomes is occurring.

Pathways are intended only as a guide for practitioners. Pathways should be adapted to each specific patient based on practitioners’ professional judgment and their consideration of the unique circumstances and needs of each patient and their family. For more information, please email us.