Review of continuing professional education in case management for nurses

Nineteen studies evaluating the effectiveness of continuing professional education programs in case management for nurses were reviewed. The studies were examined in terms of their educational focus and strategies, evaluative methods, and effectiveness. The programs assessed either focused on the provision of new knowledge or skills, or aimed to teach specific case management delivery models. The most appropriate program length appears to be at least 16 h. A combination of learning strategies, incorporating interactive lectures and small group discussions, are often used in case management educational programs and are associated with positive learning outcomes. The majority of these studies did not have a control group. Future evaluative studies need to incorporate larger sample sizes, a variety of evaluation methods and a control group in order to provide a valid measure of the effectiveness of continuing professional education in case management for nurses.