Effect of clinical nursing pathway for endoscopic thyroidectomy in Chinese patients: A meta-analysis.

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the use of a clinical nursing pathway for patients undergoing endoscopic thyroidectomy by conducting a meta-analysis. Electronic databases were searched for relevant controlled trials published prior to August 2013. Only papers that compared the use of a clinical nursing pathway to usual care for patients undergoing endoscopic thyroidectomy were selected. The outcome measures were mean difference and 95% confidence interval for length of hospital stay and hospital charges and risk ratio for patient satisfaction. Six controlled trials were identified. The use of a clinical nursing pathway reduced the length of hospital stay and hospital charges. Furthermore, it improved patient satisfaction. This meta-analysis indicates that application of a clinical nursing pathway appears to reduce length of hospital stay and hospital charges and improve patient satisfaction for patients undergoing endoscopic thyroidectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]