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Looking beyond caseload numbers for long-term home-care case managers.
E Diem1, D Alcock, E Gallagher
1School of Nursing, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Rd., Ottawa, ON, K1H 8M5.
Summary
Experienced case managers value direct client care for complex cases and advocate for program-level solutions. This study explores efficient resource allocation for home care case management.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Nursing
- Public Health Policy
Background:
- Optimizing case manager time is challenging due to variability and limited outcome data.
- Case management is crucial in home care, yet resource allocation remains inefficient.
- Understanding case manager priorities is key to improving service delivery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the perceived value of different case management functions.
- To identify factors influencing case manager time allocation.
- To explore potential improvements in resource utilization for home care.
Main Methods:
- Focus group interviews with 89 experienced Canadian case managers.
- Qualitative analysis of responses regarding direct care, indirect care management, and program management.
- Exploration of perceived value in different client and situation types.
Main Results:
- Case managers assigned higher value to direct care for new or complex home care clients.
- Significant frustration exists regarding policy and resource limitations hindering effective client support.
- A preference for addressing issues at a program or community level over individual cases was identified.
Conclusions:
- Case manager time allocation is influenced by client complexity and resource availability.
- Program-level interventions may offer a more effective use of case management resources.
- This approach provides preliminary insights into efficient and effective case manager time utilization.