BACKGROUND Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases. The clinical pathway is the therapeutic program for disease-specific treatment and its implementation may reduce both the duration and cost of the hospital stay. This study aims to construct and evaluate the efficacy of clinical pathways (CPs) based on integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine for patients with AMI. METHODS AND DESIGN The clinical pathway of integrative medicine for AMI was constructed on the basis of syndrome evolvement surveys, literature research and expert consultation. Then, a non-randomized controlled, multicenter trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the clinical pathway around the length of hospital stay, hospital expenses and the incidence of major cardiovascular events. This also allowed further exploration into the efficacy and safety of the clinical pathway for AMI based on traditional Chinese and Western medicine. DISCUSSION The study firstly researched CPs based on the integrative medicine in hospitals of Chinese medicine and set up the key methods and skills for the construction of CPs of integrative medicine. This study will provide a powerful reference and direction for single-disease management reform under the healthcare system and set a good example for the improvement of integrative treatments. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER ChiCTR-TNRC-10000753.
