A nurse manager is planning to teach staff about critical pathways. Which of the following information should the nurse plan to include?

A. Critical pathways should reduce health care costs. Critical pathways, also known as clinical pathways or care maps, are evidence-based, multidisciplinary plans that outline expected care and outcomes for specific conditions. They aim to improve care efficiency, reduce complications, and lower healthcare costs by standardizing care. B. Nurses should discontinue the critical pathway if variances occur. Variances—deviations from the expected pathway—are documented and analyzed, not a reason to discontinue the pathway. They help identify areas for improvement or necessary adjustments in patient care. C. Critical pathways have an unlimited timeframe for completion. Critical pathways are time-bound, with specific goals and milestones to be met within a set timeframe based on typical recovery patterns for the condition being treated. D. Nurses' notes are used to create the critical pathway. Critical pathways are developed using evidence-based guidelines, expert consensus, and clinical research, not individual nurses’ progress notes. However, nurses do document progress and variances within the pathway.