Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40406803›Full record

ArticlePalliative & supportive care2025

Mapping of care pathways in pediatric and adult palliative care in Spain: A case study.

Tania Ruiz-Gil, Francisco Ródenas-Rigla, Zoe Valero-Ramon, María Dolores Rodríguez Rabadán

Abstract read
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Article in Palliative & supportive care, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Tania Ruiz-GilPolibienestar Research Institute, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2255-2735
Francisco Ródenas-RiglaPolibienestar Research Institute, Universitat de València, Valencia, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3264-4735
Zoe Valero-RamonITACA-SABIEN, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4903-3896
María Dolores Rodríguez RabadánMultiprofessional Pediatric Teaching Unit of the Region of Murcia (UDMP-RM), Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, El Palmar, Murcia, Spain.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2868-2763

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesThis study aimed to map the actual care pathways for pediatric and adult palliative care (PC) patients at a hospital in the Region of Murcia (Spain) utilizing Process Mining (PM) techniques. The goal was to identify inefficiencies and areas for improvement in providing comprehensive and coordinated care to enhance patient outcomes.

methodsA retrospective review of anonymized clinical records was conducted, covering data from 2002 to 2021 for adult patients and from 2001 to 2021 for pediatric patients. The final dataset for adults comprised records from 85 patients and 2,696 episodes, and, for pediatric patients, the dataset included 57 individuals with 1,912 episodes. PM techniques (concretely, PMApp) facilitated the visualization and evaluation of actual care pathways, compared to theoretical models, highlighting bottlenecks and variabilities.

resultsThe analysis revealed distinct care pathways for adult and pediatric patients. Pediatric pathways showed inconsistencies with theoretical models due to variability in diseases and care needs, while adult pathways aligned better with expectations. Key inefficiencies included delays in shifting to home care and multiple visits to the hospital Emergency Department before referral to specialized teams. Simplified process models provided clearer insights into frequent care pathways and highlighted critical transition points, supporting optimization strategies. SIGNIFICANCE OF

resultsThe findings underscore the utility of PM in enhancing care pathway transparency, identifying inefficiencies, and supporting data-driven process redesign. The study advocates for updating theoretical models and adopting structured data collection to reduce variability and improve PC delivery. These measures are critical for achieving consistent, patient-centered care across diverse healthcare settings.

Indexed as

Critical PathwaysPalliative CarePediatricsAdultChildFemaleHumansMaleRetrospective StudiesSpainCare pathwaysHealthcare process optimizationHome carePalliative carePatient-centered carePediatric palliative careProcess mining

Identifiers

PMID40406803
PMCPMC13166610

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.