[Clinical management in an angiology and vascular surgery unit. Results of the application of a clinical practice protocols].

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of clinical management on quality indicators in a vascular surgery unit over a 10-year period.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of quality indicators from 1990 to 2001 and of the influence of a clinical practice protocol and standards of quality on these indicators.

Results: Comparison of both periods revealed improvement in all the quality indicators. The safety of surgical procedures was unaffected by the application of management protocols and clinical pathways.

Conclusions: Clinical management based on the cost-quality binomial can ensure the efficiency of a hospital unit without adversely affecting quality of care. Quality standards based on hospital resource use, morbidity and mortality can be defined for groups of procedures.