Case management as a high-risk prenatal care strategy

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Public Health
• Maternal Health

Background:

• High-risk pregnancies present complex care needs.
• Effective case management is crucial for optimizing maternal and infant outcomes.
• Existing healthcare models may face challenges in providing comprehensive care for high-risk pregnancies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the benefits of implementing high-risk prenatal case management.
• To identify key elements and challenges in providing case management for high-risk pregnant women.
• To evaluate the impact of case management on the comprehensiveness and equity of care.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative, convergent care study design.
• Involved six high-risk pregnant women in southern Brazil.
• Data collected through participant observation during case management from April to August 2017.

Main Results:

• Case management identified critical care elements and increased case complexity.
• Nursing intervention within case management requires specialized knowledge and skills.
• The study highlighted the relevance of nursing roles in managing complex prenatal cases.

Conclusions:

• Case management facilitates differentiated care for complex prenatal cases.
• It improves healthcare service navigation, promoting comprehensive and equitable care.
• Participants reported significant benefits from the case management approach, demonstrating its value in research and practice.