Introduction: All healthcare systems strive to improve the overall quality and to achieve the safety of healthcare services. When there is a human factor in the process, there is always the possibility of error, so every process must be organized in such a way as to prevent the possibility of safety deviations as much as possible. We try to achieve this with various tools. One of these tools is the clinical pathway. Adequate communication and teamwork are critical to establishing an effective clinical pathway. Purpose: The purpose of the research is to determine the quality and safety of treatment of patients with chronic kidney disease within the framework of a multidisciplinary team and what are the obstacles and opportunities for the development of an (integrated) clinical pathway for the treatment of patients with chronic kidney disease in the selected hospital. Methods: Quantitative and qualitative data collection methods were used. A survey and interviews were conducted. The survey was conducted among predetermined employees of the Novo mesto General Hospital using a structured survey questionnaire. 57 health workers took part in the research. A semi-structured interview was conducted with six patients at the Department of Nephrology and Dialysis. Results: The respondents state that the treatment of a patient with chronic kidney disease through the clinical pathway is safer, continuous, coordinated, runs more smoothly and is shorter (47.4%). Respondents believe that all team members are equally involved in team communication and that they cooperate well as a team (45.6%). It was found that there are no statistically significant differences in the evaluation of the impact of participation in a multidisciplinary team in the treatment of patients with chronic kidney disease according to the occupation of the respondents. Respondents estimate that the use of a clinical pathway would not significantly improve communication and cooperation between medical (co)workers in the treatment of a patient with chronic kidney disease. In the interviews, it was found that communication is an important part of the medical treatment of a patient with chronic kidney disease and that patients are satisfied with the communication of the medical staff. Discussion and conclusion: A key feature of the clinical pathway is good teamwork and adequate communication. Effective communication conditions the establishment and maintenance of good relations within the team and is the key to successful cooperation in a multidisciplinary team. The results of the research show the need to carry out different activities to really implement the clinical pathway and promote better communication within teams to strengthen cooperation in multidisciplinary teams.
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