ABSTRACT
The legal aspects surrounding the use of care pathways are frequently raised. Two issues require consideration: liability for developers and liability for staff users of the care pathway. As far as the National Pathways Association is aware, to date there have been no legal cases that have involved the care pathway approach within the UK. Care pathways can create a benchmark for healthcare provision for a particular organisation or group of organisations. Clinical staff can equally be criticised for following a care pathway when it is clear it is inappropriate and a different set of circumstances apply, as they can if the treatment for a particular patient/user is varied from the care pathway. The principles of good documentation and record keeping apply equally to care pathways as they do to traditional record systems. Care pathway documentation also demonstrates a reflective culture based on learning from experience.
