What question did this study set out to answer?

To outline the nationalization process of clinical care pathways for managing inflammatory bowel disease in Canada.

May 21, 2026Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology0 citationsOpen Access

Nationalization of clinical care pathways for inflammatory bowel disease management in Canada

KCKaitlyn Delaney ChappellUniversity of Alberta ATAalia TausifCrohn's and Colitis Canada CSCynthia H SeowUniversity of Calgary

Key Points

To outline the nationalization process of clinical care pathways for managing inflammatory bowel disease in Canada.
Utilized a structured framework for review and maintenance of clinical care pathways.
Included input from a diverse team of 23 health care providers from 14 institutions across Canada over 14 months.
Developed and approved 16 clinical care pathways for inflammatory bowel disease management.
Sixteen clinical care pathways were developed and approved by the council for public access.
Challenges included outdated guidelines and diverse clinical opinions among the team.
Translation into French was completed successfully.

Abstract

Abstract Background Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) are challenging conditions to manage due to the heterogeneity of the disease, diverse treatment options, and nuances of care over a range of ages. Clinical care pathways (CCPs) developed by experts enable health care providers (HCPs) to deliver standardized, high-quality, evidence-based care. In order to remain useful and valuable, these pathways need to evolve alongside changing treatment recommendations. Standardizing IBD care is a priority of Crohn’s Colitis Canada’s Promoting Access and Care through Centres of Excellence (PACE) network. Aim To describe the process of nationalizing IBD CCP’s, including development, standardization, maintenance, and dissemination. Methods This project was based on a previously developed structured framework for review and maintenance. The CCP team consisted of a leadership group, advisory council and a working group with diverse representation from the country and areas of expertise. The work was tracked with a database with coordination completed by staff of the national organization. Results The nationalization process lasted 14 months, with input from 23 HCPs from 14 academic and community institutions across Canada. Sixteen CCPs for IBD care were developed and approved by the CCP team. Challenges encountered included outdated guidelines, differing clinical opinions, and busy clinical schedules of the team members. Translation into French is complete. Support of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada was invaluable. Conclusion Despite anticipated challenges, 16 CCPs received approval from the advisory council and are publicly available to HCPs across Canada. Our approach to this undertaking and the lessons learned may be valuable for experts undertaking similar projects for patients with chronic diseases.

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