An analysis of case management--the efficient utility of human resources, but to what end?

Case management has been credited as a modality to reduce the lengths of hospital admission and to utilize human resources more effectively. The approach concentrates on the process of delivering care to constantly improve the productivity levels of health care practitioners. The United Kingdom government policy is certainly progressing towards cost-containment and cost-effective service delivery. However, it needs to be considered if the culture of nursing would be able to adopt the strategy. Firstly, it needs to be questioned if nurses have the managerial and financial acuity to successfully perform the role. Secondly, the adoption of case management may potentially negate the value of some aspects of professionally skilled nursing care which has little cost-benefit analysis but provides the true essence of nursing. With a further advancement of cost-centered care, case management may become the anti-thesis of an inherently caring profession.