Integrated care pathways (ICPs) first appeared in the United States in the 1970s, and since then their usage has become widespread internationally. Definitions of what constitutes a care pathway can be confusing. The European Pathway Association (EPA) has provided a helpful definition of care pathways as: ‘multi-component interventions intended to facilitate decision-making and organisation of care for a well-defined group of patients over a well-defined period’ (European Pathway Association, 2007).

Important features of ICPs in palliative care are as follows: